SAN JOSE, CA – March 4, 2019 – MGI unveiled its novel CoolNGS chemistry, a disruptive sequencing approach for its DNBSEQ™ technology that enhances throughput, accuracy, read length, and cost-effectiveness in DNA sequencing.
As a global leader in innovative sequencing platforms, MGI is committed to developing and producing advanced genetic sequencing instruments, consumables, and reagents while driving the progress of the genomics industry. CoolNGS was announced at the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) 2019 conference in Florida, where MGI scientific leaders delivered multiple presentations.
Independent data from the DNBSEQ™ platform showcased the instruments’ flexibility and user-friendly design. Sequencing data demonstrated high base quality, even read coverage, and minimal GC bias.
The proprietary CoolNGS chemistry avoids DNA “scars” that can accumulate with traditional sequencing methods and affect downstream read accuracy. The technology uses unlabeled nucleotides alongside four fluorescently labeled antibodies in the cPAS (combinatorial probe-anchored synthesis) sequencing process to identify incorporated bases. By adding natural, scarless bases in each sequencing cycle, CoolNGS enables more accurate and longer reads.
CoolNGS also improves sensitivity and reduces cost. “The multiple fluorescent dye molecules attached to the antibodies provide a higher signal-to-noise ratio and reduce the consumption of costly reagents, while incorporating natural bases without interference between cycles,” said Dr. Radoje Drmanac, Chief Scientific Officer of MGI. “That’s what makes it so cool and natural for our DNBSEQ™, the most efficient high-throughput sequencing technology.”
At AGBT, Dr. Roy Tan, General Manager of MGI Americas, highlighted the transformative potential of CoolNGS alongside MGI’s ultra-high-throughput MGISEQ-T7 platform. He described this combination as enabling a new era of “broadband” sequencing, capable of rapidly “downloading” genomic information from millions of biological samples to improve health outcomes.
“Just as broadband revolutionized data transmission, advanced infrastructure for generating and managing genomic data will open the door to a new era of understanding biology and enhancing healthcare,” Dr. Tan said. “This is the infrastructure we must build together.” MGI aims to lead the industry into population-scale genome sequencing by providing customers worldwide with a scalable and versatile sequencing platform.
MGI’s DNBSEQ-T7 platform can deliver up to 6Tb of data per day, double the throughput of current market options. Its innovative quadruple flowcell design allows independent operation of 1 to 4 flowcells in a single run. Using MGI’s single-tube Long Fragment Read (stLFR) technology, the platform supports long fragment reads up to 300 kb, short reads at 5 billion reads per flowcell, and multiple applications simultaneously on the same instrument.
With these breakthrough technologies, MGI is not only advancing sequencing throughput but also improving data bandwidth and quality, setting a new standard in next-generation sequencing.
