NEW YORK – Complete Genomics unveiled a new mid-throughput sequencer at the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology annual meeting this week.
Named DNBSeq-T1+, the platform, which promises improved speed, workflows, and data output, appears to be an overhaul of the company's existing mid-throughput DNBSeq-G400 instrument.
"We knew that the G400 couldn't go any faster," said Rob Tarbox, Complete Genomics' VP of product and marketing. "It is a pretty old machine, from a generational perspective."
Compared with the G400, which has been one of Complete Genomics' bestselling models globally, T1+ comes with several major improvements, he said, including a significantly simpler workflow.
For instance, T1+ enables automated, onboard DNA nanoball creation for sequencing, a step that previously required a separate platform. Additionally, the T1+ sequencing workflow contains an automated post-run wash, forgoing the manual step required for the G400.
Besides a simplified workflow, T1+ also offers a higher data output per run compared with the G400, Tarbox noted, generating up to 600 Gb of data. This is a result of a new flow cell design, which can produce more data per unit area with reduced pitch distance, and faster sequencing cycles enabled by accelerated optics and fluidics.
As a result, a paired-end 150 bp run on the T1+ takes around 24 hours — including clonal amplification, post-run wash, and FASTQ generation — versus 56 hours on the G400 only for sequencing.
Another strength of the T1+ is its run flexibility, Tarbox said. The platform currently supports single-end 50 bp and 100 bp reads, as well as paired-end 50 bp, 100 bp,150 bp, and 300 bp reads across three flow cell types: small, medium, and large. While the small and medium flow cells contain two lanes, the large flow cell has four. The instrument can run two flow cells independently, with each lane being individually addressable, Tarbox noted.
When carrying out paired-end 150 bp runs, T1+ can produce 600 Gb of data per large flow cell, with more than 93 percent of the reads having a quality score higher than Q30 and more than 90 percent beyond Q40, according to Complete Genomics' website.
Tarbox said the target customers for T1+, which has a list price of $300,000, are mid-throughput academic, core, or industry labs that don't want to batch a lot of samples.
For paired-end 150 bp runs using the large flow cell, Complete Genomics quoted sequencing costs to be $2.50 per Gb of data.
According to Piotr Mieczkowski, technical director of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's high-throughput sequencing facility, the T1+ system produces high-quality, consistent, and reproducible data.
Mieczkowski's team evaluated data from the platform as an early-access collaborator, using existing whole-genome libraries it had previously prepared for Illumina sequencing. According to Mieczkowski, who presented his results during an AGBT workshop sponsored by Complete Genomics, the Illumina libraries were converted for DNB-seq, and the sequencing data were generated by Complete Genomics.
Preliminary results from a comparison of T1+ data with data from the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 indicate that both platforms have comparable performance, and there is no difference in their error profiles, Mieczkowski said.
His team also evaluated T1+ data against Illumina NovaSeq X data using RNA-seq samples and found that the two instruments also delivered comparable results, with minimal RNA bias.
Besides the T1+, Complete Genomics also introduced the DNBSeq-E25 Flash at this year's AGBT meeting. An improved version of the existing portable DNBSeq-E25, the E25 Flash used AI-optimized protein engineering to obtain enhanced signal intensity and precision, according to the company's website.
In addition, Complete Genomics said the E25 Flash utilizes AI-powered basecalling, leveraging the Nvidia Jetson platform. These improvements reduce sequencing cycle times to one minute, enabling the platform to complete a single-end 50 bp run within two hours. Complete Genomics has yet to release pricing information for the E25 Flash.
While the market adoption of the T1+ remains to be seen, the platform further expands existing offerings within the mid-throughput next-generation sequencing market, with Element Biosciences, Illumina, and Singular Genomics in the mix. Additionally, Roche's upcoming nanopore sequencer, which touts flexible outputs, could also dip into this market.
Besides competition, Complete Genomics, which is owned by China's MGI and dodged the bullet from the Biosecure Act last year, continues to face risks from the geopolitical environment.
According to Tarbox, both T1+ and E25 Flash are available for order, with planned shipments starting in the second half of the year. Existing E25 customers can upgrade to the E25 Flash with a new Nvidia computing module and software, though the upgrade price is not yet available.
Customers who wish to replace their existing G400 instruments with the T1+ can participate in a trade-in program, Tarbox said, though he did not provide details.