Clyde A. Hutchison · Nucleic Acids Research 2007 · narrative review · n=?

DNA sequencing: bench to bedside and beyond

Cited 291 times in the scientific literature.

Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data

Narrative historical review with no primary empirical data (design analogy).

OpenAlex W2160265043 · doi:10.1093/nar/gkm688 · record verified 2026-08-26

What was done

This paper is a historical narrative review tracing the evolution of DNA sequencing technologies. It covers the timeline from the discovery of the double helix and early sequencing in 1968, the introduction of Maxam-Gilbert and Sanger dideoxy methods in 1977, the scale-up during the Human Genome Project, to the emergence of massively parallel sequencing platforms.

What was found

The abstract reports a historical overview without primary quantitative experimental data. Key historical milestones noted include: a 15-year gap between 1953 and initial sequencing in 1968; modern sequencing initiation in 1977 with phage phiX174; scaling to targets >200 kb (human cytomegalovirus); establishment of high-throughput sequencing facilities by 1992; first cellular bacterial genomes in 1995; draft human genome sequences published in 2001; and the ongoing pursuit of the 'thousand dollar genome' via massively parallel sequencing.

Why it matters

It contextualizes the technological and computational transitions that enabled modern genomics, bioinformatics, and early efforts toward personalized medicine.

Limits

The paper is a narrative overview containing no original experimental data, systematic methodology, or quantitative benchmarking of sequencing platforms.

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