What sequencing strategy did Celera Genomics use for the human genome?

Celera Genomics used whole-genome shotgun sequencing for the human genome. Instead of mapping the genome chromosome by chromosome before sequencing, Celera fragmented the entire genome into many random pieces, sequenced those pieces, and used computers to reconstruct the original sequence from overlapping reads.

The approach was closely associated with J. Craig Venter and Celera's private-sector challenge to the publicly funded Human Genome Project. Celera had already demonstrated the method on the fruit fly genome, Drosophila melanogaster, before applying it to the much larger and more repetitive human genome.

Whole-genome shotgun sequencing was faster because it allowed many fragments to be processed in parallel. Its major difficulty was assembly: repeated DNA sequences can make it hard to determine where individual fragments belong. Celera addressed this with paired-end reads, powerful computational assembly, and additional mapping information.

Sanger sequencing describes the laboratory chemistry used to read DNA at the time, not the overall project strategy. “Next-generation sequencing” refers to later high-throughput technologies. The public consortium generally used hierarchical, or clone-by-clone, shotgun sequencing.