GATC Biotech was a German company specialist in
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...
and
RNA sequencing
RNA-Seq (named as an abbreviation of RNA sequencing) is a technique that uses next-generation sequencing to reveal the presence and quantity of RNA molecules in a biological sample, providing a snapshot of gene expression in the sample, also kn ...
for academic and industrial partners worldwide. The company offered sequencing and
bioinformatics
Bioinformatics () is an interdisciplinary field of science that develops methods and Bioinformatics software, software tools for understanding biological data, especially when the data sets are large and complex. Bioinformatics uses biology, ...
solutions from single samples up to large-scale projects. 'The Genome and Diagnostic Centre' focusing on
next
NeXT, Inc. (later NeXT Computer, Inc. and NeXT Software, Inc.) was an American technology company headquartered in Redwood City, California that specialized in computer workstations for higher education and business markets, and later develope ...
and
third-generation sequencing Third-generation sequencing (also known as long-read sequencing) is a class of DNA sequencing methods that have the capability to produce substantially longer reads (ranging from 10 kb to >1 Mb in length) than second generation sequencing, also kno ...
was based in the headquarters in
Constance, Germany. The fully automated NGS laboratories were certified under ISO 17025. The Sanger sequencing business was located in 'The European Custom Sequencing Centre' in
Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
, Germany. The proximity to
Cologne Bonn Cargo GmbH served as the logistical hub within Europe. GATC Biotech was acquired by Eurofins Genomics (part of
Eurofins Scientific) in July 2017.
History
Founded in 1990 the company concentrated in the early days on commercialising a nonradioactive sequencing technology platform, patented by Prof. Pohl, one of the founders of GATC.
The direct blotting electrophoresis system, the GATC 1500 was utilised in the European ''
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
''Saccharomyces cerevisiae'' () (brewer's yeast or baker's yeast) is a species of yeast (single-celled fungal microorganisms). The species has been instrumental in winemaking, baking, and brewing since ancient times. It is believed to have be ...
'' genome project. In 1996 started the transformation from an instrument manufacturer to a service provider in the field of DNA and RNA sequencing. As part of the Gene Alliance, founded in 1998, the company was involved in the large-scale genome analysis project ''Aspergillus niger'' funded by DSM (The Netherlands) and finished in 2001.
In 2006 the company started to develop the next generation sequencing business division adding the Europe's first commercial PacBio RS platform in 2011.
In July 2017 GATC Biotech was acquired by Eurofins Genomics (part of
Eurofins Scientific).
Structure of the company
GATC Biotech was a limited company and had several subsidiaries in Europe.
* GATC Biotech AB, Stockholm, Sweden (100%)
* GATC Biotech Ltd., Cambridge, United Kingdom (100%)
* GATC Biotech SARL, Marseille, France (100%)
Products
The range of products covers the Sanger sequencing applications
as well as next generation sequencing, such as ''de novo'' sequencing, human exome sequencing for clinical settings and RNA-Seq.
References
External links
Company Update: GATC Solely Focused on Sequencing ServicesEurofins Genomics and GATC Biotech merged
*
{{Authority control
Genomics companies
Research support companies