Base4

Base4 was a biotechnology company that developed a microdroplet-based technology for single-molecule DNA sequencing. Founded in 2006 by Cameron Frayling and headquartered in Cambridge, UK, the firm aimed to provide cheaper, more accurate, and meaningful sequencing data for large populations. Its technology was designed to generate long reads from a single DNA molecule without requiring initial amplification, with applications in pathogen screening and DNA analysis to understand and predict disease.

The company's approach focused on developing a system that could quickly and affordably sequence DNA. In 2013, Base4 entered a collaboration with Hitachi High-Technologies to develop a long read-length, single-molecule, nanopore-based DNA sequencing instrument. Alongside this, the company pursued a parallel sequencing scheme centered on microdroplet technology.

Over its lifetime, Base4 raised a total of $25 million in funding over a single Series A round on November 21, 2017, with participation from three institutional investors. Despite its developments, the company is now listed as out of business, having undergone liquidation proceedings that completed on November 16, 2021.

Keywords: single-molecule sequencing, microdroplet technology, DNA sequencing, nanopore sequencing, genomics, pathogen screening, DNA analysis, long-read sequencing, molecular biology, biotechnology, genetic research, life sciences, sequencing instruments, Cambridge UK, disease prediction, nucleotide sequencing