title: The sequence of sequencers: The history of sequencing DNA.
abstract: Determining the order of nucleic acid residues in biological samples is an integral component of a wide variety of research applications. Over the last fifty years large numbers of researchers have applied themselves to the production of techniques and technologies to facilitate this feat, sequencing DNA and RNA molecules. This time-scale has witnessed tremendous changes, moving from sequencing short oligonucleotides to millions of bases, from struggling towards the deduction of the coding sequence of a single gene to rapid and widely available whole genome sequencing. This article traverses those years, iterating through the different generations of sequencing technology, highlighting some of the key discoveries, researchers, and sequences along the way.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infection & Immunity, UCL Cruciform Building, Gower Street, London, United Kingdom. Electronic address: James.Heather.10@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Heather
authors.affiliation: Division of Infection & Immunity, UCL Cruciform Building, Gower Street, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chain
mesh_terms: D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing / Q000266:history / Q000379:methods*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000266:history* / Q000379:methods
keywords: DNA; History; RNA; Sequencer; Sequencing