Recent Patents and Advances in the Next-Generation Sequencing Technologies

We are now witnessing a new genomic revolution due to the arrival and continued advancements in the next-generation high-throughput sequencing technologies, which encompass sequencing by synthesis including fluorescent in situ sequencing (FISSEQ) and pyrosequencing, sequencing by ligation including using polony amplification and supported oligonucleotide detection (SOLiD), sequencing by hybridization in combination with sequencing-by-ligation and nanopore technology, nanopore sequencing and other novel sequencing technologies using nano-transistor array, scanning tunneling microscopy and nanowire molecule sensors etc. We review here major technologies and recent patents for achieving high-throughput, ultra-fast, extremely cheap, and highly accurate sequencing. We will see enormous impacts of these next-generation sequencing methods for solving complex biological problems and for ushering in the practice of personalized medicine.