Applied Biosystems software ‘identifies genetic variants’

New software from Applied Biosystems may accelerate the identification of genetic variants for biomedical applications, the company states.

The firm’s Variant Reporter product automates the process of detecting genetic variations, which the developer claims could reduce the time it takes by half.

According to the firm, some 70 per cent of laboratory time is generally spent in data analysis during sequencing procedures.

By automating the chain-termination method of DNA sequencing pioneered by Dr Frederick Sanger, the new software is said to eliminate much of the manual input required for this process.

Kim Caple, vice-president and general manager for Applied Biosystems’ genetic analysis business, advises: "Medical sequencing projects are contributing to a significant increase in the number of samples run on Sanger-based sequencing systems worldwide."

"The Variant Reporter software enables our customers engaged in medical sequencing projects to better understand the data."

Results are returned by the software in a visual format, as well as in a number of reports for further study, Applied Biosystems adds.