Next-generation Sequencing: Slowly Moving towards the $1,000 Genome

Even if most attempts to read DNA strands in real time appear stalled and the goal of true single-molecule sequencing has, with the notable exception of Helicos, for the most part given way (at least for the time being) in favor of cluster-based approaches with lower data densities, there's still plenty of opportunity for start-ups to advance the field of next-generation sequencing: with microfluidics, nanotechnology, and biochemistries to better enable direct DNA observation and analysis.