Gene Genie

Pacific BioSciences
Menlo Park, Calif.
DNA sequencing
Founder and Chief Technology Officer: Stephen Turner

Pacific BioSciences has developed an ultrafast system that reads individual bases of DNA as they are synthesized, using a microscope that is 1,000 times more sensitive than existing technology. The company aims eventually to be able to sequence an entire human genome for a few hundred dollars in less than 15 minutes. If it succeeds, Pacific BioSciences' technology could usher in a new era of personalized medicine and molecular diagnostics. It could also give scientists the ability to improve disease resistance in plants—potentially boosting the world's food and energy supplies.