BGI Americas and Gencove have entered into an agreement to offer a new low-pass sequencing service to lower barriers to large-scale genomics projects. This service combines BGI’s DNBseq Next Generation Sequencing technology and Gencove’s ImputeSeq low-pass sequencing analysis pipeline.
Genotyping array technology, widely used for genome-wide association studies and other large-scale genomics projects, is limited to a finite number of pre-selected genetic variants. In addition, these variants are often biased towards those most common in populations of European descent.
BGI’s DNBseq technology has brought the price of generating sequencing data to a point where it is lower than that of genotyping arrays. At the same time, Gencove’s ImputeSeq pipeline turns low-pass data into high quality variant calls across the genome, along with ancestry and microbiome profiles for each sample.
The powerful new NGS-based solution will provide scientists with more data, better variant calls without bias, and the ability to discover new rare variants, at a cost that is lower than that of genotyping arrays. In addition, the raw genome data will remain available for future re-analysis as science progresses.
“This new service is the next step towards making NGS data more affordable through our DNBseq technology, Charles Bao, General Manager of BGI Americas Corporation said. “Teaming up with Gencove allows us to provide a better tool for large genome-wide studies, allowing more precise analysis to advance the development of more precise healthcare.”