Next Generation Sequencing
Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is a sequencing technology that offers speed, scalability and ultra-high throughput. The technology can be used to determine the order of nucleotides in entire genomes or targeted regions of DNA or RNA. NGS has applications in environmental, agricultural and forensic science as well as genomic and clinical research.
NGS Capabilities
Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) is a wildly used NGS method that involves sequencing every protein coding region (approximately 21,000 genes) to identify any variants that may increase the risk of developing certain conditions or impact health/lifestyle. WES can be used across a broad range of applications including genetic disease, population genetics and cancer studies.
Advantages
- Attains widespread coverage of coding regions
- Cost effective alternative to Whole-Genome Sequencing (WGS)
- Smaller data set provides faster and easy data analysis compared to WGS approaches
Human Whole Genome Sequencing (hWGS) involves sequencing very single base in your DNA (approximately 3.2 billion) to identify any variants that may increase the risk of developing certain conditions or impact health/lifestyle. This sequencing method has many applications including identifying genetic disorders, mutations responsible for cancer progression, as well as monitoring disease outbreaks.
Advantages
- High-resolution view of the genome
- Detection of all variant types
- Low cost, fast library preparation
16s rRNA gene sequencing involves the analysis of the prokaryotic 16s ribosomal RNA gene which is found in all bacteria and archaea. This sequencing approach is extremely useful for microbiome research studies. 16s rRNA gene sequencing has a number of applications including, environmental, clinical and food
Advantages
- Identification and taxonomic classification of bacterial species
- Fast speed and cost efficient
- Discovery of novel pathogens
Shotgun sequencing reads all the genomic DNA in the sample, rather than just one specific region. This sequencing method provides a vast amount of genetic information as it can identify archaea, bacteria, fungi and viruses.
Advantages
- Less labour intensive than other sequencing methods.
- Faster process than clone-clone sequencing
- Requires less DNA
qPCR
qPCR allows for the analysis of particular variants of specific locations. It is a good choice when interrogating a small region of DNA on a limited number of samples. Real-time PCR can be used for both qualitative and quantitative analysis.
Advantages and Applications of qPCR
Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Advantages
High sample throughput
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High sensitivity
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Comprehensive genomic coverage
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Can sequence thousands of genes simultaneously
- Low sample input required
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Fast turnaround time for high sample volumes
