Blog
May 30, 2019
Unraveling Malaria Mysteries with Long-Read Sequencing
Malaria is a complicated killer, and efforts to develop effective vaccines have been hindered by gaps in our understanding of both the parasite that causes the infection, Plasmodium falciparum, and…
May 23, 2019
Review: How Long-Read Sequencing Could Make a Difference in Medical Genetics
A recent review article published in Frontiers in Genetics offers a great look at the landscape of long-read sequencing. Authors Tuomo Mantere, Simone Kersten, and Alexander Hoischen from Radboud University…
May 21, 2019
Applications and benefits of single-molecule transcriptome sequencing
When looking to understand the functional implications of genetic variability, scientists should seek out the Iso-Seq method, according to Cold Spring Harbor researchers. In a recent paper published in Frontiers…
May 16, 2019
Top 10 Tools and Tips from the SMRT Leiden Informatics Developers Meeting
Hundreds of SMRT scientists came together recently in Leiden to learn about the latest updates to PacBio technology and to showcase their data analysis tools. Extremely useful information was shared,…
May 15, 2019
SMRT Leiden Symposium Showcases Successes in Clinical and Conservation Genomics
What can a cute, cuddly, stingless bee from the Brazilian rainforest teach us about eusociality and mitochondrial evolution? Natalia S Araujo wants to find out, and she’s not the only…
May 7, 2019
Sequencing of Historical Cholera Sample Surprises Sanger Scientists
They are the unwelcome comeback kids: Measles, mumps and other old-time diseases that were once nearly extinct are on the rise in suburban communities as well as developing nations. In…
May 6, 2019
New Sequel II System Enables Rapid Characterization of Invasive Pests
UPDATE October 2019 – This paper has now been published in Gigascience. Stop, Scrape, Squash… and Sequence! The latest invasive insect to hit headlines, the spotted lanternfly, has a voracious,…
May 1, 2019
The Sequencing of the Octoploid Strawberry Genome Uncovers its Evolution
By Ángel Vergara Cruces, Universidad de Málaga Plant geneticists have achieved a sweet feat: the first assembly of the octoploid strawberry genome. As reported in Nature Genetics earlier this year,…
April 29, 2019
AACR 2019 Highlights: Long Reads, Structural Variants, and Iso-Seq Analysis
This month’s meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in Atlanta was a great showcase of the latest academic and translational research in this field. Years ago, the…
April 24, 2019
Now Available: Sequel II System Delivers ~8 Times as Much Data as Previous System
We’re thrilled to announce the launch of the Sequel II System, reducing project costs and timelines with approximately eight times the data output compared to the previous Sequel System. It…
April 22, 2019
Rapid Response: A Role for SMRT Sequencing in Infectious Disease Control
Researchers rely on PacBio long-reads for richness and resolution when probing genomes, and these same attributes are becoming increasingly relevant in clinical settings. One field where the technology shows particular…
April 20, 2019
Smoking out Structural Variants in the Cannabis Genome
With its unique medicinal and psychoactive compounds, the popularity of cannabis is spreading… well, like a weed. Now legal in 10 states for recreational use, and in 33 for medical…
April 17, 2019
German Shepherd Genome Project Fetches Popular Vote
First there was Shadow, the poodle owned by gene-entrepreneur Craig Venter. Then there was Tasha, a female Boxer. Will the next de-coded dog be Maya, a German Shepherd Dog that…
April 16, 2019
Now available: Low DNA input workflow for SMRT sequencing
We are pleased to announce the availability of our protocol for template preparation to support low DNA input for sequencing on the Sequel System. The low DNA input workflow features…
April 11, 2019
Microbial Sequencing Used to Unravel Mysteries of Aquatic Environments
While some microbiologists can study their organisms of interest by growing them in cultures in the lab, many don’t have that luxury. Most microbes and algae cannot be cultured, which…