California Institute of Technology

Hitachi Chemical Research Center, Inc.

Michael S Waterman

Edward T Chow

John C Peterson

Timothy J Hunkapillar

Masato Mitsuhashi

Pavel A Pevzner

Allan J Cooper

An electronic circuit is used to compare two sequences, such as genetic sequences, to determine which alignment of the sequences produces the greatest similarity. The circuit includes a linear array of series-connected processors, each of which stores a single element from one of the sequences and compares that element with each successive element in the other sequence. For each comparison, the processor generates a scoring parameter that indicates which segment ending at those two elements produces the greatest degree of similarity between the sequences. The processor uses the scoring parameter to generate a similar scoring parameter for a comparison between the stored element and the next successive element from the other sequence. The processor also delivers the scoring parameter to the next processor in the array for use in generating a similar scoring parameter for another pair of elements. The electronic circuit determines which processor and alignment of the sequences produce the scoring parameter with the highest value.

Sequence information signal processor

A sequence information signal processing integrated circuit chip designed to perform high speed calculation of a dynamic programming algorithm based upon the algorithm defined by Waterman and Smith. The signal processing chip of the present invention is designed to be a building block of a linear systolic array, the performance of which can be increased by connecting additional sequence information signal processing chips to the array. The chip provides a high speed, low cost linear array processor that can locate highly similar global sequences or segments thereof such as contiguous subsequences from two different DNA or protein sequences. The chip is implemented in a preferred embodiment using CMOS VLSI technology to provide the equivalent of about 400,000 transistors or 100,000 gates. Each chip provides 16 processing elements, and is designed to provide 16 bit, two's compliment operation for maximum score precision of between -32,768 and +32,767. It is designed to provide a comparison between sequences as long as 4,194,304 elements without external software and between sequences of unlimited numbers of elements with the aid of external software. Each sequence can be assigned different deletion and insertion weight functions. Each processor is provided with a similarity measure device which is independently variable. Thus, each processor can contribute to maximum value score calculation using a different similarity measure.

Sequence information signal processor for local and global string

There is disclosed herein an invention which relates to the fields of genetic engineering, microbiology, and computer science, that allows a user, whether they be a molecular biologist or a clinical diagnostician, to calculate and design extremely specific oligonucleotide probes for DNA and mRNA hybridization procedures. The probes designed with this invention may be used for medical diagnostic kits, DNA identification, and potentially continuous monitoring of metabolic processes in human beings. The key features design oligonucleotide probes based on the GenBank database of DNA and mRNA sequences and examine candidate probes for specificity or commonality with respect to a user-selected experimental preparation. Two models are available: a Mismatch Model, that employs hashing and continuous seed filtration, and an H-Site Model, that analyzes candidate probes for their binding specificity relative to some known set of mRNA or DNA sequences. The preferred embodiment of this computerized design tool is written in the Borland.RTM. C++ language and runs under Microsoft.RTM. Windows.TM. on IBM.RTM. compatible personal computers.

Oligoprobe designstation: a computerized method for designing optimal

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Culver City, CA, United States of America

Michael S Waterman