Pacific Biosciences

CD Genomics is providing PacBio SMRT sequencing to complement our NGS facility. By taking advantage of the long-read and single molecular sequencing capability developed by PacBio, we are proud to offer advanced genome de novo assembly solutions and full-length gene/transcript sequencing strategy to suit your project needs.

Single Molecular Real-Time (SMRT) sequencing employs a specialized flow cell with many thousands of individual picolitre wells with transparent bottoms -- zero-mode waveguides (ZMW). The polymerase is fixed to the bottom of the well and allows the DNA strand to progress through the ZMW. As a result, the system can focus on a single molecular. SMRT sequencing allows for real-time imaging of fluorescently tagged nucleotides that are synthesized along individual DNA template molecules. The sequencing reaction ends when the template and polymerase dissociate. The average read length from the PacBio instrument is approximately 2 kb, and some reads may be over 20 kb. Longer reads are especially useful for de novo assemblies of novel genomes that can span many more repeats and bases.

Highly repetitive elements found in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic genomes pose a challenge for genome assembly and make the detailed study of repetitive sequences difficult. Long-read sequencing delivers reads in excess of several or dozens of kilobases (kbs), which can span complex or repetitive regions with a single continuous read, allowing for the resolution of these large structural features. Besides considerably longer and highly accurate DNA sequences from individual unamplified molecules, it can also exhibit where methylated bases occur, thereby providing functional information about DNA methyltransferases encoded by the genome. PacBio SMRT sequencing has unique advantages in studies of de novo genomics, metagenomics, transcriptomics and epigenetics.

We utilize the advanced PacBio SMRT instruments (PacBio SR II and PacBio Sequel) for several research purposes including whole-genome de novo genome assembly, full-length target sequencing, metagenomics studies, full-length transcripts sequencing, and genome-wide DNA modification analysis. Our highly experienced expert team executes quality management following every procedure to ensure confident and unbiased results.