Instrument (Sequencing) Technology

What is a Sequencing Instrument?

A sequencing instrument is the hardware platform used to read DNA or RNA sequences. Different instruments have distinct characteristics affecting data quality, read length, and throughput.

Common Instruments in CMMI-DCC

Illumina Platforms

• MiSeq: Smaller projects, amplicon sequencing, 25M reads
• NextSeq: Medium throughput, 400M reads
• NovaSeq: High throughput, 10B reads
• Characteristics: Short reads (75-300 bp), high accuracy (>99.9%)

Oxford Nanopore

• MinION: Portable, real-time sequencing
• PromethION: High-throughput long-read
• Characteristics: Very long reads (>100 kb), ~95-99% accuracy

PacBio

• Sequel II/IIe: Long-read sequencing
• Characteristics: Long reads (10-25 kb average), high accuracy with HiFi

Why Instrument Matters

• Read Length: Affects assembly and species resolution
• Accuracy: Impacts variant calling and analysis
• Throughput: Determines sequencing depth
• Cost: Influences study design and sample size

Related Terms

• Sequencing Technology: The underlying method
• WGS: Whole Genome Sequencing
• Metagenomics: Application using sequencing instruments