Announcing the Winners of The Scientist’s Top 10 Innovations of 2014

NEW YORK - Dec. 1, 2014 - PRLog -- “Our expert panel of judges had a very difficult job to pick the 10 best life-science products for 2014,” said Editor-in-Chief Mary Beth Aberlin. “We are very excited to continue our annual recognition of new innovations.”

The Top 5 winners of this year’s competition focus on genome sequencing: tools to do the actual sequencing, technologies to make it easier to prepare genetic regions for sequencing, and a processor that can handle the avalanche of data that results from such analyses. Other winning products include a human liver model, updates to a superresolution imaging platform, and a diagnostic test that reduces the risk of harmful blood transfusion reactions.

The winners of The Scientist’s Top 10 Innovations of 2014 contest are:

1)      DRAGEN Bio-IT Processor (Edico Genome) – This bioinformatics processor reduces the computational cost and increases speed of analyzing genomic sequence data.

2)      MiSeqDX Sequencing System (Illumina) – This benchtop sequencer is the first next-generation sequencing tool approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for use in clinical diagnostics.

3)      HiSeq X Ten Sequencing System (Illumina) – This platform enables whole-genome sequencing at population-level scales at the long-sought-for cost of $1,000 per human genome.

4)      IrysChip V2 (BioNano Genomics, Inc.) – This tool provides a high-throughput platform for the visualization of large-scale genomic structure, with applications for mapping, assembly, and evolutionary analyses.

5)      RainDrop Digital PCR System (RainDance Technologies) – This droplet-based platform can detect and monitor rare biomarkers for cancers, viruses, pathogens, and immune disorders with absolute quantitation.

6)      Leica TCS SP8 STED 3X (Leica Microsystems CMS GmBH) – This update to the TCS SP8 STED superresolution platform allows researchers to peer deeper than ever into cells to image molecular function in 3-D at several frames per second.

7)      exVive3D Liver model (Organovo, Inc.) – This in vitro model mimics the macro and micro 3-D structure of the human liver, providing an experimental system that closely models in vivo human liver function.

8)      HAP1 Cells (Haplogen Genomics GmbH) – These clonal knockout haploid cell lines are engineered using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology. More than 800 human gene knockouts are currently available, in addition to custom-made knockout cell lines.

9)      PreciseType HEA Test (Immucor) – This molecular diagnostic test screens for 35 red blood cell antigens, allowing for faster and more accurate blood donor/patient matching, reducing the risk of harmful transfusion-related reactions.

10)   Sciencescape.net (Sciencescape) – This Web-based tool allows users to create a personalized news feed of newly published papers under as many categories as they choose to follow.

Congratulations to all of this year’s winners. Be sure to visit The Scientist http://www.the-scientist.com where you can read more about the products that earned top spots, see bios and comments from our expert judges, and watch a slide show of the runners-up.

About The Scientist:

The Scientist is for life science professionals—a publication dedicated to covering a wide range of topics central to the study of cell and molecular biology, genetics, neuroscience, and other life-science fields. We provide print and online coverage of the latest developments in the life sciences including trends in research, new technology, news, business, and careers. It is read by leading researchers in industry and academia who value penetrating analyses and broad perspectives on life-science topics both within and beyond their areas of expertise. Written by prominent scientists and professional journalists, articles in The Scientist are concise, accurate, accessible, and entertaining.