Pacific Biosciences

Pacific Biosciences of California Inc. of Menlo Park, and imec, a nanoelectronics research center in Louvain, Belgium, have announced a multiyear research collaboration focused on the development of advanced microchips for highly multiplexed single-molecule genetic analysis. The research will build on Pacific Biosciences’ zero-mode waveguide (ZMW) technology and imec’s experience in nanophotonics, CMOS sensors, technology integration and fabrication. Pacific Biosciences said it is committed to exploiting the potential of the capabilities of its ZMW-based single-molecule, real-time (SMRT) analysis technology to drive innovation in the life sciences. The goal is to harness the power of microchips to scale the capacity and throughput of the SMRT technology.