Blog
March 19, 2018
New High-Quality Swedish Genome Assemblies Identify Novel Population-Specific Reference Sequence
UPDATE: This paper has now been published in Genes. A new preprint from scientists at Uppsala University’s SciLifeLab reports the de novo genome sequencing and assembly of two Swedish individuals…
March 15, 2018
Study: SMRT sequencing can improve the safety of gene therapy protocols
A new publication in the journal of the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy demonstrates the novel use of SMRT Sequencing for improving the safety and quality of a…
March 12, 2018
A new look at an old favorite: Cabernet Sauvignon study generates a transcriptome of ripening berries
UPDATE: The study has been published in the journal G3: GENES, GENOMES, GENETICS and featured on its cover. ORIGINAL POST (March 12, 2018): A new preprint from scientists at the…
March 9, 2018
Coral Microbiome Project Wins 2017 Microbial SMRT Grant
Corals are critical to sustaining sea life in many parts of the world, contributing to an elaborate ecosystem that lives in and around their mineralized calcium carbonate skeletons. In addition…
March 7, 2018
New Software, Polymerase for Sequel System Boost Throughput and Affordability
Today we’re pleased to announce the release of a new version of Sequel Software (V5.1) and a new polymerase. Combined, these upgrades increase throughput and overall performance for key SMRT…
March 5, 2018
Dog meet dog world: Exploring canine genomes
UPDATE (October 2020): Sandy’s genome assembly is now available here. From wild animals to perfect pets, dogs have undergone some interesting changes during their centuries-long domestication. Intent on unraveling some…
February 28, 2018
Join us in recognizing Rare Disease Day
The last day of February each year is designated as Rare Disease Day, a unique opportunity to recognize people who sometimes seem to be forgotten by the mainstream medical community….
February 21, 2018
Hummingbird study uses Iso-Seq Method to hunt for metabolic function
UPDATED February 21, 2018 Congratulations to Winston Timp’s team on the publication of their Iso-Seq analysis of hummingbird! The paper is now available at GigaScience. ORIGINAL POST April 4, 2017…
February 20, 2018
Pre-AGBT workshop: Reference genomes and diversity representation
We can’t resist a good reference genome, so the pre-AGBT workshop entitled “Updating Reference Assemblies: New Technologies, New Sources of Diversity” was right up our alley. Hosted by the McDonnell…
February 9, 2018
JGI sequencing fungus for clues to better biofuel production
The Department of Energy has its eyes on an unassuming solution to our bioenergy needs: Aspergillus. The fungal genus contains hundreds of variations, which include powerful pathogens, industrial cell factories,…
February 7, 2018
Review: SMRT sequencing ‘is revolutionizing’ human sequencing applications
A new review in Nucleic Acids Research offers a sweeping look at human sequencing applications for SMRT Sequencing, finding that “[t]he myth that SMRT sequencing is too error prone ……
February 5, 2018
Illuminating the origin and evolution of bioluminescence
A project that sparked widespread interest and a successful science crowdsourcing campaign has inspired an international collaboration that produced two high-quality reference genomes, as well as a draft genome of…
January 29, 2018
Small creature, massive genome: Axolotl offers insights into regeneration
The Mexican salamander, or the axolotl, may have tiny feet, but the feat of decoding its genetic footprint was huge—32 billion base pairs huge, making it ten times bigger than…
January 17, 2018
SOLVE-RD Funded to Improve Diagnosis of Rare Disease with New Tools Including Long-Read Sequencing
The SOLVE-RD research program, a collaboration of 21 participant organizations in 10 nations, announced it has received a €15 million grant from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 initiative. SOLVE-RD aims…
January 15, 2018
When a single reference is not enough
Maize is amazingly diverse. A study comparing genome segments from two inbred lines, for instance, revealed that half of the sequence and one-third of the gene content was not shared…