Leading DNA sequencing company Illumina has launched the new NovaSeq X Series production-scale sequencers that are designed to push the limits of what is possible with genomic medicine.
The company said the new sequencers will enable faster, more powerful, and more sustainable sequencing.
NovaSeq X Plus can generate more than 20,000 whole genomes per year - 2.5 times the throughput of prior sequencers - greatly accelerating genomic discovery and clinical insights.
"Illumina has been a pioneer in genomics for more than two decades, and with this new sequencer, we are reinventing the genomics industry once again. Today, we are forging a new path forward to advance more breakthroughs in cancer and genetic disease treatments, precision therapies, and pandemic preparedness," said Illumina CEO Francis deSouza.
"Innovations like NovaSeq X are at the heart of how we will transform patient lives, and this groundbreaking technology will empower researchers, scientists, and clinicians in the fight to diagnose, treat - and eventually cure - disease while making genomics more sustainable and accessible to millions more people around the world."
"To propel life-saving discoveries and drive better patient outcomes at scale, we needed a new type of sequencer that could revolutionize genomics as we know it. This is why we set out to disrupt the status quo and build the technology from the ground-up, introducing fundamentally new chemistry, higher-resolution optics, ultra-dense flow cells, and more," said Alex Aravanis, Illumina's chief technology officer.
"With brand new chemistry and underlying hardware and software, along with the ability to combine genomics innovations on a single platform, NovaSeq X sets a new standard in sequencing technology, while enabling discoveries and patient outcomes we never thought possible."
Illumina said NovaSeq X also significantly reduces waste and environmental impact. NovaSeq X features a 90 per cent reduction in packaging waste and weight and 50 per cent reduction in plastic usage compared to NovaSeq 6000.
"We are excited to see the advance of sequencing technologies-such as Illumina's NovaSeq X-and the prospect of higher-quality, lower-cost sequencing," said Stacey Gabriel, PhD, chief genomics officer and senior director of the genomics platform at Broad Institute. "Such advances will enable us to increase the sample size, power, and diversity of research cohorts, including population biobanks, and further push boundaries of genomics through the acceleration of clinical WGS across a variety of settings."
"Illumina provided us with the first technology that allowed for the sequencing of thousands and then hundreds of thousands of whole genomes. The new NovaSeq X is going to allow us to sequence the genomes of whole nations," said Kári Stefánsson, founder and CEO of deCODE genetics.
"We're very excited to be a launching partner for NovaSeq X Series. Macrogen always strives to become the champion of personal whole genome sequencing," said Professor Jeongsun Seo, chairman of Macrogen. "I strongly believe NovaSeq X Series will accelerate our path towards the $100 genome. This will enable us to deliver a genetic blueprint to everyone in the world to unlock individual potential and increase life quality - hence the company's slogan: 'Humanizing genomics'."
"The power, scale, efficiency, and sustainability of the NovaSeq X platform will rapidly accelerate our aspirational efforts to sequence tens of millions of exomes and genomes to identify novel drug targets and advance therapeutics in development through precision genomics," said John Overton, PhD, vice president and chief sequencing officer of the Regeneron Genetics Center. "These efforts help us unlock the power of genomics to advance our understanding of human health and hopefully improve outcomes for patients around the world."
