Needs and Solutions for Automation in NGS Sample Preparation
Current Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) workflows have numerous manual processes that bottleneck throughput and contribute to process inefficiency and inconsistent reproducibility in library yield and quality.
With the advent of high end sequencing devices achieving a throughput of up to 600 Gb per run it is now possible to sequence 64 transcriptomes or 96 exomes in a single run. The preparation of such numbers of samples in manual processes is not only labor intensive and time consuming but could also be subject to manual handling errors.
Taking advantage of best practices from other industries, Caliper has developed an automated platform that is appropriate for a wide range of applications in next generation sequencing sample preparation. In addition to supporting reagents kits from the sequencing instrumentation vendors, methods are available for kits provided by several leading third party reagent providers including multiple sequence capture protocols.
Recognizing that sequencing technology and methods rapidly change, deck accessories with wide operating ranges have been chosen for this liquid handling platform to create a robust and flexible solution. A detailed workflow for several next generation sequencing applications is presented. Examples will be given for mRNA sequencing and exome sequencing following sequence target capture. We will present workflows along with performance data demonstrating reproducibility and quality of resulting libraries with a throughput of as many as 96 libraries per day.
We will also present complete solutions for the entire process of sample preparation also integrating Caliper’s microfluidic chip technologies for high throughput QC of nucleic acids and size selected fractionation.
Hannes Arnold, PhD
Business Development Manager Europe
Caliper – a PerkinElmer Company
