SEOUL, South Korea, 29 April 2019 — MGI is expanding applications for its single-tube long fragment read (stLFR) sequencing technology, offering affordable haplotyping, de novo genome assembly, and structural variant analysis using unique co-barcoded reads from long DNA molecules.
MGI announced plans to apply stLFR technology to its Diverse Genomes Project at the Human Genome Meeting (HGM) 2019 in Seoul. The project aims to generate high-quality reference genomes from diverse human populations, translating genomics research into practical applications.
Innovative stLFR Technology
Developed by MGI’s Senior Director of Research Brock Peters and Chief Scientific Officer Radoje Drmanac, stLFR assigns the same barcode sequence to sub-fragments of a long DNA molecule using microbeads to create millions of barcoding reactions in a single tube. This approach overcomes the limitations of short read lengths, enabling:
High-quality structural variant detection
Phasing of over 99% of the human genome
De novo assembly of genomes without reference mapping
“We believe stLFR has the potential to be a single library package for near-perfect genome sequencing,” said Peters. “Our goal is to create extremely high-quality de novo assemblies of human genomes across diverse populations.”
Since its introduction at HGM in 2018, stLFR has been used for various genome projects, including de novo assemblies of the tanoak tree and MGI team member Peters’ dog, Jackson. Analysis of stLFR data has now been published in Genome Research.
Commercial Availability and Complementary Products
MGI’s stLFR package, including the MGIEasy stLFR Library Prep Kit, is now commercially available, based on MGI’s high-throughput DNBSEQ™ NGS platform. MGI also launched the MGIEasy PCR-Free DNA Library Prep Set for WGS library preparation without PCR amplification, offering high accuracy, minimal error accumulation, and automated workflow compatible with human, animal, plant, and microbial samples.
Global Sequencer User Program (SUP)
At HGM, MGI also announced the Asia Pacific launch of its Global Sequencer User Program (SUP), an open platform for collaboration on genetic technologies and applications. LAS (Life is Art of Science Co., Ltd.) in South Korea became the first Asia Pacific participant. The program provides customised products, services, support, and co-marketing opportunities.
