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PacBio sequencing technology overview

PacBio offers three highly differentiated core technologies focused on accuracy, quality, and completeness:

HiFi sequencing

Single-molecule sequencing provides a combination of read lengths up to 25 Kb, remarkable read accuracy of 99.9%, and 5-base sequencing (A, T, G, C + 5mC)

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Sequencing by Binding (SBB)

SBB technology brings near-perfect accuracy — even in regions of the genome prone to sequencing errors

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Nanobind

Sample extraction technology protects DNA from shearing to generate longer fragments with less damage across a broader range of sample types than any other technology

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Long-read sequencing

HiFi sequencing

HiFi sequencing is recognized as a highly accurate and complete sequencing technology:

  • PacBio HiFi offers 21× fewer errors vs Oxford Nanopore, >6× fewer errors vs Illumina in PrecisionFDA benchmarking of total errors (SNV + indel + SV)
  • Read lengths up to 25 kb allow you to span large structural variants and challenging repetitive regions, and to sequence full-length transcripts
  • High accuracy provides 99.99% accurate sequencing results
  • Uniform coverage enables sequencing through regions that are inaccessible to other technologies
  • Epigenetics can be explored through direct detection of base modifications during sequencing

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THE HIFI DIFFERENCE – LARGE-SCALE, HIGH-QUALITY DATA FOR ALL OF US

As the main finding, the authors in a new preprint entitled Utility of long-read sequencing for All of Us state that “HiFi reads produced the most accurate results for both small and large variants” and conclude that “long-reads have widespread value for establishing the most complete and accurate variant calls for All of Us and potentially for many other projects.”

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Sample prep

Nanobind HMW DNA extraction

NANOBIND sample extraction technology for high quality DNA that delivers longer fragments with less damage across a broader range of sample types than any other technology

  • Cultured cells and bacteria
  • Blood
  • Plants
  • Tissues
  • Developmental sample types include insects, fungal, and worm

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Short-read sequencing

Sequencing by binding (SBB)

SBB demonstrates exceptional accuracy and consistency compared to current short-read sequencing-by-synthesis (SBS) technologies. An improved limit of detection, customer flexibility, and less computational burden have the potential to enable results in research.

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OUR TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION

A new paradigm: HiFi reads for highly accurate long-read sequencing

HiFi reads provide important benefits for key application areas including comprehensive variant detection, de novo assembly, epigenomics, metagenomics, and transcriptomics.

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Products

PacBio’s technology fuels our innovative products, including:

  • Revio sequencing system
  • Onso sequencing system
  • Nanobind extraction kits

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Data analysis

PacBio’s SMRT Link software suite is designed for use with HiFi sequencing data. Analyze, visualize, and manage your data through an intuitive GUI or command-line interface with an extensive set of APIs.

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Sequencing methods

PacBio sequencing technology enables unparalleled resolution of genomes, transcriptomes, epigenomes, and targeted panels.

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If you have a question, need to check the status of an order, or are interested in purchasing an instrument, we're here to help.