At this month’s JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, Illumina announced the introduction of its new sequencing platform, the iSeq. The system marks the company’s latest system designed to make NGS more accessible to a wider set of labs.

The $19,900 iSeq supports 4 million reads per run and an output of 1.2 Gb for 2 x 150 base pairs, with accuracy of 99.8%. Run time is 9–18 hours. This compares to the $50,000 MiniSeq system, which delivers 25 million reads and 7.5 Gb of output in a run time of 4–24 hours. The low cost of the iSeq should expand the market, according to Kevin Meldrum, senior director of Product Marketing. “We think that at around $20,000, it’s going to be very attractive to a broad set of people. You start to get to a position where somebody who’s working in a cell or molecular biology lab and may be using a technique like qPCR today can get to access to sequencing now for relatively the same costs as buying a new PCR machine.”

The platform consists of three main technical innovations —a one-channel SBS chemistry, semiconductor detection and a separate cartridge, according to Mr. Meldrum. Previous Illumina NGS systems utilized 4- (4-dye) or 2-channel chemistries with an optical detection system. The 1-channel chemistry is read using CMOS detection technology, as each nanowell of the flow cell is positioned over one photodiode. The smaller-sized detection system and new chemistry are located in a cartridge separate from the reader. Each cartridge is priced at $625.

The system’s design takes certain functions out of the instrument, such as fluid handling and detection steps, and transfers it to the cartridge, noted Mr. Meldrum. This design allows future flexibility through the use of different cartridges with the same system. It also allows for depot service, easier installation and increased reliability, according to Mr. Meldrum. “You can imagine 3 or 4 different cartridges over time that would all run on the same iSeq system, but they scale to different outputs, or if we want to do some fast versus normal turnaround time chemistry.”

Asked about the more complex library preparation process that precedes sequencing, and those challenges for new users, Mr. Meldrum told IBO that the streamlined and robust protocol of Illumina’s new Nextera Flex chemistry addresses this by eliminating the separation purification process. He also explained that the platform’s use in conjunction with the company’s agreement to sell Thermo Fisher Scientific’s AmpliSeq technology also enables simpler library preparation options. To further improve sample preparation, he said Illumina is concentrating on chemistry improvements and low-cost automation solutions.

Illumina expects initial customers to be labs interested in small-batch testing or those new to sequencing. Among the applications could be amplicon sequencing, or QC checks of NGS samples prior to higher-throughput runs. A promising area is microbial profiling, which encompasses applications such as GMO testing, seed optimization, livestock breeding (trait selection) and process monitoring for fermentation reactions, according to Mr. Meldrum.