US Patent 7270951 Method for direct nucleic acid sequencing

The present invention provides a novel sequencing apparatus and the methods employed to determine the nucleotide sequence of many single nucleic acid molecules simultaneously, in parallel. The methods and apparatus of the present invention offer a rapid, cost effective, high through-put method by which nucleic acid molecules from any source can be readily sequenced without the need for prior amplification of the sample or prior knowledge of any sequence information.