A row of DNA sequencing machinesFLICKR, JURVETSON
With cuts in the federal research budget looming, many federally-funded scientists are holding back on purchasing expensive lab equipment such as DNA sequencers, Nature reported. An online poll of 94 genome researchers carried out by GenomeWeb and a Tokyo investment bank, for example, found that more than half of the respondents have delayed lab purchases. Companies that make the sequencers, such as Illumina and Pacific Biosciences, have already announced workforce layoffs of 7 and 28 percent, respectively, due to poorer sales compared to last year. With the majority of their clientele consisting of NIH-funded researchers, the companies plan on focusing more on biomedical markets and clinical applications in the future in order to boost sales, according to Nature.
