Fast and Efficient Preparation of Next Generation Sequencing Libraries

EMD Millipore, the Life Science division of Merck KGaA of Darmstadt, Germany, today launched PureGenome™ kits and reagents for rapid and efficient Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) sample preparation. With these reagent sets, library preparation has been streamlined to two steps in under two hours, followed by a short enrichment step, thus alleviating a typical bottleneck in the sequencing process.

PureGenome™ library preparation is a simple, two-step process followed by amplification using EMD Millipore's ultra-high fidelity KOD Hot Start DNA Polymerase Mastermix. This unique polymerase amplifies DNA with high processivity in highly TA- or GC-rich regions. The combined efficiency of library construction and accuracy of amplification enables maximum library yields from lower input DNA with minimal bias.

Sequencing data from libraries prepared using the PureGenome™ NGS library preparation reagents are of the highest quality with respect to Phred scoring (Q20>85%), minimal bias in GC coverage and higher ratios of matched:unmatched reads. Ultimately, better sequencing data translates into more meaningful biological results, especially in applications for which sensitivity and specificity are crucial, such as gene expression analysis or single-nucleotide polymorphism studies. The PureGenome™ NGS library preparation reagents are validated for Illumina® platform-compatible NGS libraries; however, end users have the flexibility to optimize for other platforms.

"To date the cost and sample processing rate has been a bottleneck in NGS, and the choice of library preparation products has been somewhat limited," notes John Sweeney, Executive Vice President, EMD Millipore Bioscience Division. "PureGenome™ NGS library preparation reagents require less hands-on time and less overall processing time compared to similar platforms. In addition, the quality of sequencing data surpasses that of similar platforms with greater cost efficiency."

Supporting kits in the PureGenome™ workflow include the PureGenome™ Tissue DNA Extraction Kit, specifically validated for NGS library preparation from solid tissue, biological fluids and cell cultures, and the PureGenome™ On-Spot Tissue DNA Kit, which is used for extraction of DNA from targeted areas on tissue sections and enables analysis from minute samples. The PureGenome™ NGS Library Validator Kit enables highly accurate and cost-effective qPCR quantification of Illumina® platform-compatible NGS libraries.