Automating Illumina Sequencing
Illumina Sequencing Best Practices
There’s no doubt that sequencing has become a game-changing laboratory technique, opening new doors for scientists all over the world. Among the major methods is Illumina sequencing.
Illumina sequencing supports a broad range of applications which allows researchers to explore nearly any question concerning the genome, transcriptome, or epigenome of any organism.
But while the method is powerful, the liquid handling involved is equally complex and time-consuming.
Luckily, this can easily be carried out by liquid handlers. In fact, liquid handlers are essential tools in both the library preparation and nucleic acid extraction as it allows you to get the most out of the kits, avoid errors, get better accuracy, and save time.
Here are a few examples of how the flowbot ONE liquid handler raises the level of Illumina sequencing and ensures better results and a high-efficiency workflow.
Automating Illumina DNA library prep.
Leiden University Medical Center has automated their Illumina DNA library prep. with flowbot® ONE.
The lab is using whole genome Illumina sequencing for initial identification of rare pathogenic microorganisms, the detection of microbial resistance mechanisms and for epidemiologic tracking of microorganisms within and outside hospital systems.
When implementing the flowbot ONE for Illumina DNA library prep., hands-on time was reduced to 25 minutes compared to the 125 min needed when performing 8 library preps. using the manual workflow.
The Illumina sequencing workflow on the flowbot ONE has also generated more robust and high-quality DNA libraries.
Results obtained from 16 Illumina library preps. that were performed both manually and automatically showed comparable library DNA yields (median of 1.5-fold difference), similar assembly quality values, and 100% concordance on the final core genome multilocus sequence typing results.
Preparing Illumina Infinium Microarrays
A lab in Poland is using Illumina Infinium Microarrays in flowbot® ONE.
The Infinium lab is performing genotyping of cattle for the Polish Federation of Cattle Breeders and Dairy Farmers with Illumina Infinium microarrays – a tool for analysing genetic variations.
Using flowbot ONE for Illumina sequencing has allowed them to double their throughput. The lab can now process 1600 samples per week with each sample taking only 2-3 days to process.
Preparing microarrays for multiplexing includes an extremely extensive pipetting process, and it takes a lot of time and effort.
To prepare the samples, the flowbot ONE transfers them to the Infinium microarrays with an 8-channel pipette module. The microarrays are then placed vertically into a rack chamber to perform an Illumina Infinium XT protocol. In the protocol, the flowbot ONE adds antibodies and dyes on top of the now vertical arrays, using a 1 channel pipette module.
Handling microarrays is not easily done manually. It’s very prone to human mistakes as both the volumes and distances between the wells are extremely small. Every human mistake generates high costs in terms of lost samples and arrays. With flowbot ONE we can keep our timelines, and the clients can rely on our services.
More about flowbot ONE
flowbot® ONE is an affordable and intuitive pipetting robot that enables everyone to automate their lab processes.
A guided user interface with drag and drop programming shapes user-friendly and flexible software that requires neither coding nor scripting. The software is browser-based and fully adjustable by the user, ensuring that you can easily switch between protocols and that your lab can stay agile.
flowbot ONE has a full set of unique features specifically designed to meet the needs we see in labs around the world, including next generation sequencing. It also has an open API that allows you to easily integrate it into a fully automated work cell.
All of this is wrapped up in high-quality plug & play hardware with 12 positions on the deck.
With flowbot ONE you’ll get an efficient and accurate workflow that can empower any lab.
Would you like to see the flowbot ONE in action?
Book a free online demo and see how it can fit into your workflow.