Frontiers in DNA Sequencing: the ( R )Evolution of Sequencing Technologies

Abstract

Over the past 30 years, DNA sequencing evolved from a work-intensive, low-throughput, and high-cost endeavor into an affordable, automated and high-throughput technique for biological research. Currently, we are experiencing the advent of DNA sequencing technology platforms based not only on the long-time prevailing biological techniques, but also on multidisciplinary approaches. While current second-generation technologies rely on massively parallel sequencing of clonally amplified DNA molecules, third-generation technologies are based on single-molecule sequencing. A major motivation for the development of new technologies is meeting the challenge to provide sequencing of an entire human genome for less than US$1000; and what seemed almost impossible a decade ago now seems to have become reality. In this review, we give an overview of the currently available sequencing platforms, as well as a preview of promising new technologies that may enter the market in the near future. We discuss the most common biological applications and how high-throughput sequencing (HTS) has changed and will change the understanding of biological systems.