In addition to the most common applications, like whole genome sequencing for de novo assembly, there are several other features you can utilize to advance your science or incorporate to offer your customers a broad range of the best PacBio services. Here’s a sampling of the most recent updates and releases. Iso-Seq Analysis for Genome Annotation or Targeted Isoform Discovery The isoform sequence (Iso-Seq) application generates full-length cDNA sequences – from the 5’ end of transcripts to the poly-A tail – eliminating the need for transcriptome reconstruction using isoform-inference algorithms. It’s even easier to help your customers annotate their…
In an exciting paper that made the cover of Genome Research, scientists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and collaborating institutions report the genome sequence and transcriptome of a commonly used breast cancer cell line. They determined that the cell line harbors far more structural variants than previously thought with results that call into question cancer genome analysis based solely on short-read sequencing data. In “Complex rearrangements and oncogene amplifications revealed by long-read DNA and RNA sequencing of a breast cancer cell line,” lead author Maria Nattestad, senior author Michael Schatz, and collaborators describe an in-depth investigation of SK-BR-3, an important…
[caption id="attachment_29573" align="alignright" width="200"] Justin Zook[/caption] A map of every individual’s genome will soon be possible, but how will we know if it is correct? Benchmarks are needed in order to check the performance of sequencing, and any genomes used for such a purpose should be comprehensive and well characterized. Enter the Genome in a Bottle Project (GIAB), a consortium of geneticists and bioinformaticians committed to the creation and sharing of high-quality reference genomes. Unlike other initiatives, such as the 1000 Genomes Project, that are seeking to sequence many representatives of different populations, GIAB is interested in sequencing just a…
[caption id="attachment_25359" align="alignright" width="300"] Fritz Sedlazeck[/caption] Nature Methods just published “Accurate detection of complex structural variations using single-molecule sequencing,” a publication that presents the NGMLR aligner and Sniffles structural variant caller, both designed for use with long-read sequencing data. We chatted with developer and lead author Fritz Sedlazeck from the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor to learn more. Q: Why was a new alignment tool needed when many scientists already use BWA and other methods? A: When I started my postdoc in Mike Schatz’s lab at Cold Spring Harbor, I had the opportunity to look at the complex SK-BR-3…
Structural variants account for most of the base pairs that differ between human genomes, and are known to cause more than 1,000 genetic disorders, including ALS, schizophrenia, and hereditary cancer. Yet they remain overlooked in human genetic research studies due to inherent challenges of short-read sequencing methods to resolve complex variants, which often involve repetitive DNA. At a recent webinar co-hosted by Nature Research, Professor Alexander Hoischen joined Principal Scientist Aaron Wenger to discuss how advances in long-read sequencing and structural variant calling algorithms have made it possible to affordably detect the more than 20,000 such variants that are…
[caption id="attachment_24559" align="alignright" width="300"] The coast of Panay Island in the Philippines. U.S. Navy photo by Jennifer S. Kimball[/caption] In an exciting new Cell paper, scientists report identification of an intronic structural variant that causes a neurodegenerative Mendelian disorder that primarily affects people on the island of Panay in the Philippines. The team used a number of approaches, including SMRT Sequencing and the Iso-Seq method, to solve the medical mystery. “Dissecting the Causal Mechanism of X-Linked Dystonia-Parkinsonism by Integrating Genome and Transcriptome Assembly” comes from lead authors Tatsiana Aneichyk, William Hendriks, Rachita Yadav, David Shin, and Dadi Gao; senior authors Cristopher…
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. Once again PacBio is an official sponsor of the day, which will be marked with awareness-raising events in 80 countries around the world. It’s a beautiful way to remember the hundreds of millions of people affected by a rare disease, as well as the caretakers, researchers, and clinicians who work so hard to make their lives better. The thing about rare diseases is that, while each individual disease might affect…
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 to improve the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases, which in total affect millions of Europeans. The program is applying novel diagnostic tools to around 19,000 cases unsolved by prior short-read exome sequencing. Prominent among the planned “multi-omics” approach is long-read genome sequencing, which will reveal the large amount of potentially disease-causing genetic variation that is not accessible with short-read DNA sequencing. SOLVE-RD plans to apply long-read genome sequencing to 500…
The annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics kicked off with a splash yesterday in Orlando, Fla. The PacBio team was thrilled that the opening talks in the presidential address and plenary session included a significant focus on increasing diversity in genetic studies to better characterize underrepresented populations. Nancy Cox, ASHG president, highlighted a number of excellent efforts to address this but noted, “Compared with what we need, what we’ve done so far is really just a drop in the bucket.” As regular blog readers know, we work closely with groups around the world to build population-specific reference…
[Update April 30, 2018: This paper is now published in Nature Methods.] Sniffles and NGMLR, structural variant detection and alignment algorithms developed in the Schatz lab for long-read sequence data, are already familiar to many in the PacBio community. Now, a preprint is available so users can see how these open-source tools perform in a variety of conditions. “Accurate detection of complex structural variations using single molecule sequencing” comes from lead author Fritz Sedlazeck at Baylor College of Medicine, senior author Michael Schatz at Johns Hopkins University, and collaborators. The team notes that long-read sequencing has introduced a much more…
In an effort to improve precision medicine in Chinese populations, Novogene announced plans to build a database of structural variants in 1,000 Chinese individuals using PacBio SMRT Sequencing. Databases which catalog SNVs and small indels have proven invaluable for precision medicine, serving as population controls for rare disease research and providing a list of variants for genetic association studies. Yet, most of the base pairs that differ between two human genomes are in structural variants which are not adequately represented in current databases. Furthermore, current databases do not represent the genetic background of all ethnic populations, particularly the Chinese who…
An article published today in Genetics in Medicine from Jason Merker, Euan Ashley, and colleagues at Stanford University reports the first successful application of PacBio whole genome sequencing to identify a disease-causing mutation. (Check out Stanford's news release here.) The authors describe an individual who presented over 20 years with a series of benign tumors in his heart and glands. The individual satisfied the clinical criteria for Carney complex, but after eight years of genetic evaluation, including whole genome short-read sequencing, experts were still unable to pinpoint the underlying genetic mutation and confirm a diagnosis. Ultimately, the authors turned to the…
We’re excited to be heading to Washington, DC, for the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. The PacBio team always enjoys hearing about the latest in cancer translational research at AACR, along with thousands of leading scientists in the field. Many of those scientists have already learned that SMRT Sequencing provides a unique view into cancer, revealing structural variation, phasing distant variants, and delivering full-length isoform sequences. With uniform coverage, industry-leading consensus accuracy, and reads extending to tens of kilobases, PacBio long-read sequencing gives researchers the ability to monitor and make sense of even the most complex…
Scientists from Rutgers University and the University of California, Davis, used SMRT Sequencing to study structural variation in maize. They found that this approach delivered more complete information at lower cost than standard methods and generated new findings that could be important for crop breeding. From lead author Jiaqiang Dong, senior author Jo Messing, and collaborators, “Analysis of tandem gene copies in maize chromosomal regions reconstructed from long sequence reads” was published in PNAS recently. They chose to evaluate SMRT Sequencing for copy number detection as an alternative to short-read sequencing, which doesn’t span long repeats, and BAC cloning, which…
At Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, scientists used SMRT® Sequencing to decode one of the most challenging cancer genomes ever encountered. Along the way, they built a portfolio of open-access analysis tools that will help researchers everywhere make structural variation discoveries with long-read sequencing data. When Mike Schatz realized a few years ago that his PacBio® System had reached the throughput needed to process human genomes, he decided to give it a real challenge: the incredibly complicated, massively rearranged SK-BR-3 breast cancer cell line. The genome consists of 80 chromosomes, and that’s just the tip of the complexity iceberg. “We were…