Illumina launches TruSeq SBS Sequencing kit

Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN) today announced the launch of its TruSeq SBS Sequencing kit that will enable high-quality paired end reads of 150 base pairs (bp), increase the output of high-quality base calls, and enhance throughput to greater than 95 Gigabases (Gb) of high-quality base pairs per run on Illumina's Genome Analyzer (GA) sequencing system. The kit, which the company has commenced shipping broadly, is the first in a series of new kits that will further advance data quality, ease of use and economical sequencing on the company's sequencing platforms. Individual products within the family of TruSeq reagents will be specifically formulated for each Illumina sequencing platform to best leverage the features of that system to provide the highest yield and quality of data.

"At NCGR, we're using TruSeq SBS chemistry to routinely generate over 85% Q30 data for our 100 bp runs, which is a dramatic improvement in both accuracy and output," said Gregory May, President and Chief Operating Officer at the National Center for Genome Resources. "In addition, we're now able to perform paired end reads up to 150 bp on the Genome Analyzer, which will help us greatly in both our de novo sequencing studies as well as our ongoing agriculture sequencing projects."

Coupled with advances in algorithms, the TruSeq SBS Sequencing kit will enable researchers to increase the yield of Q30 base calls and generate approximately 500 million perfect reads per 2x100 bp run, setting a new standard for output of high-quality data from the GA. The yield of perfect reads is an important indicator of a system's overall quality and helps greatly in mapping accuracy, yield and overall coverage of a genome.

"The TruSeq family of reagents is the newest in a long line of sample preparation and chemistry advancements focused on enhancing ease of use, data quality and economical sequencing," said Christian Henry, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Life Sciences at Illumina. "The TruSeq SBS Sequencing kit will provide researchers with even greater accuracy on the Genome Analyzer to generate data with higher mapping rates as well as lower false positive and negative rates. These improvements will materially enhance researchers' ability to paint the truest picture of the genome."

Illumina anticipates following up the release of the TruSeq SBS Sequencing kit with TruSeq Cluster Generation kits and TruSeq Sample Preparation kits for both DNA and RNA applications on the GA later this year. The family of TruSeq reagents will provide Illumina sequencing users with the most optimal workflow and highest quality data possible on the company's platforms.