Qiagen Enhanced CLC Genomics Workbench Premium Supporting NGS for Somatic Cancer Secondary Analysis

Qiagen's Digital Insights bioinformatics business has launched an enhanced version of its CLC Genomics Workbench Premium with LightSpeed software that supports next-generation sequencing for somatic cancer secondary analysis.

The software converts raw sequencing data in FASTQ files to lists of genetic variants in VCF files at low cost and high speed, the company said. Requiring no new hardware or software licenses beyond CLC, LightSpeed analyzes a 275-gene comprehensive cancer panel at 3,377x coverage in six minutes for approximately $0.72 per test within standard cloud environments. Labs can also run the CLC LightSpeed technology on existing local hardware with similar performance.

The enhancement is in addition to the previous capabilities of the software for analyzing whole-genome sequencing, whole-exome sequencing, and large panel sequencing data. Specifically, LightSpeed analyzes an entire genome at 34x coverage in 25 minutes, and a 50x whole exome in 90 seconds within standard cloud environments. Labs can run WGS analyses for about $1 per genome and WES for less than a few cents per exome, Qiagen said.