Challenge 1: Scalability—Twice the Bases

The idea behind Ion Torrent Technology™ always has been to bring the power of semiconductor scalability to the life sciences. The Ion 314™ Chip is the first in a series of products that leverage decades of semiconductor technology advances, enabling us to bring the entire semiconductor design, fabrication, and supply-chain infrastructure—a trillion dollar investment—to bear on the challenge of sequencing.

If we have 1.4 million sensors on the Ion 314™ Chip, we should be able to get more than 1 million reads. The winner of this challenge will have to provide a 2x improvement in the number of high-quality bases across our available chips. The benchmark accuracy that challengers must beat will be the best yield achieved by the Ion Torrent™ labs, as measured in a validation event.

Challenge 2: Speed—twice As Fast

Speed is critical to scientific discovery, particularly as sequencing technology moves from the research lab to the clinic, where decisions need to be made in hours, not days.

This challenge requires participants to prepare a sample in half the current record sample prep time set by technicians in Ion Torrent labs. Currently, the Ion Torrent record is about 10 hours, with each step completed back-to-back without pause, using all the best processes. Selected entrants will compete in a validation event against an Ion Torrent team running the most current protocol.

Challenge 3: Accuracy—Twice As Right

The accuracy challenge is unique in that it is based purely on software improvements—specifically, twice our internal accuracy record at the time of submission.

For example, if we are producing 40 million bases at a given accuracy, the challenge would be to produce 40 million bases at twice that accuracy, at the same or better analysis time and using the same server configuration as the Ion Torrent product uses.

It is not necessary for the programmer to know anything about biology or to have access to an Ion PGM™ sequencer to win. Any programmer, anywhere in the world, can compete and win.

Challenge 4: SOLiD™ Sequencing—Single Cancer Cell

Cancer accounts for nearly one out of every four deaths in the U.S., as reported by the American Cancer Society. Variation in DNA and RNA sequence between tumor cells can dramatically affect how individual cells respond to therapies. For this challenge, participants must sequence the genome and all RNA content derived from a single cancer cell using the 5500 Series SOLiD™ Sequencers.

Although scientists have successfully sequenced the entire transcriptome of a single murine cell using the SOLiD™ System, as documented in the May 7, 2010 issue of Cell Stem Cell, they have yet to sequence the entire genome of one cell. Successful achievement of this latest Grand Challenge will, therefore, double what is currently possible by sequencing both the entire genome and all RNA, including mRNA, microRNAs and other types of RNA molecules expressed in a single cancer cell, using the SOLiD System. Results must be validated using alternative techniques, such as capillary electrophoresis sequencing and quantitative PCR.