Qiagen Digital Insights (QDI) on Monday announced the launch of an upgraded product for ultra-fast next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis that processes the whole genome in 25 minutes for $1 in cloud computing costs.
The updated Qiagen CLC Genomics Workbench Premium software removes a bottleneck associated with NGS by adding analysis speed to analyze and interpret whole genome sequencing (WGS), whole exome sequencing (WES), and large panel sequencing data, said QDI, the informatics business of Qiagen.
The product incorporates LightSpeed technology, a software accelerator that quickly converts raw sequencing data in FASTQ files from any paired-end short-read sequencing platform into interpretable lists of genetic variants in the VCF format.
It can analyze an entire human genome at 34x coverage on an ordinary computer in just 25 minutes and a 50x whole exome in 90 seconds within standard cloud environments, the firm said.
With Qiagen CLC LightSpeed technology, labs can run WGS analyses for about $1 per genome and WES for less than a few cents per exome using cloud infrastructure. Alternatively, labs can efficiently run the Qiagen LightSpeed technology on existing local hardware with similar performance, QDI said.
The firm added that LightSpeed technology is suited to NGS areas such as neonatal screening for hereditary diseases or large population-genomics studies in which speed and cost are priorities.
“[Lightspeed’s] cost and time efficiency give high-throughput NGS sequencing laboratories the chance to use the technology widely for clinical and research clients,” Dr. Jonathan Sheldon, senior vice president of QDI, said in a statement. “The quicker unwanted mutations are spotted, the sooner associated diseases can be identified and treated.”
