Roche ($RHHBY) has begun to close down subsidiary 454 Life Sciences and will lay off its 130 employees through 2015, Bio-IT World reported. The closing of the division signifies a shift of Roche's diagnostics arm to a smaller role in gene sequencing, continuing a number of gene sequencing-related downsizing measures enacted over the last year, the article noted. Roche will still maintain an exclusive licensing deal with Pacific Biosciences for new in vitro diagnostics products. Roche scooped up 454 Life Sciences from CuraGen in 2007 for about $155 million, when the company was at the forefront of gene sequencing technology and trends. Story | More from FierceBiotech IT | FierceDiagnostics