The Ion PGM sequencer's unprecedented speed, scalability and affordability are driving strong interest in the system around the world.

Ion Torrent, a business unit of Life Technologies, has invented and brought to market a fundamentally new semiconductor device that enables chemical signals to be directly translated into digital information for the first time.

Ion semiconductor sequencing is a disruptive technology because it brings the entire design, fabrication and supply chain infrastructure of the semiconductor industry - a $1 trillion investment - to bear on the challenge of DNA sequencing.

The semiconductor has radically changed every industry it has touched, from the microprocessor enabling desktop computing to the CMOS imager, enabling digital photography and replacing film cameras.

"Point-and-shoot digital cameras opened up photography to everyone because they were fast, cheap and easy - and people saw the results immediately, so they quickly became better photographers," said Dr. Jonathan M. Rothberg, founder of Ion Torrent.

"That's what Ion is doing for DNA sequencing. The Ion PGM sequencer gives you results in two hours, and it's affordable and easy to use, so researchers can make decisions in a timely way and can get to publication quicker."