Illumina Introduces Nextera DNA Flex

By Bio-IT World Staff

October 6, 2017 | Illumina announced the availability of an innovative whole genome sequencing (WGS) library prep product, Nextera DNA Flex, which eliminates the need for sample preparation for whole blood and saliva, and removes tedious steps in the library prep workflow, such as mechanical fragmentation of DNA, quantification, and normalization. Nextera DNA Flex offers a fast, integrated workflow for a wide variety of applications ranging from human WGS to WGS preps for libraries of amplicons, plasmids, and microbial species, all compatible with any Illumina sequencer.

While advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology have accelerated the pace of genomic research, many laboratories continue to experience bottlenecks during the library preparation phase of the NGS workflow. With multiple steps required both before and after library preparation, many labs contend with significant delays before they are able to start the sequencing process. Pre-library preparation steps include DNA extraction, quantitation and fragmentation, while post-library prep steps include library quality assessments, library quantitation, and normalization. Nextera DNA Flex enables direct input of blood and saliva samples, eliminating the need for ancillary equipment and reagents to extract DNA and quantify samples concentration prior to sequencing.

“The Illumina team has developed an entirely new technology that significantly reduces the number of steps in the library prep process, comprising the fastest and most flexible solution in the Illumina library prep portfolio. We believe that the simplicity, versatility and performance of Nextera DNA Flex makes it a transformational technology for WGS applications and more,” shared Giovanna Prout, Associate Director of Product Marketing at Illumina, in a press release. “Yet, excitingly, it also represents a simple, robust, and easy to use entry point for ‘New to NGS’ customers.”

“Nextera DNA Flex represents a fundamentally new assay platform designed to support the development of multiple products, streamlining customer workflows and catalyzing myriad new applications,” said Kevin Meldrum, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Illumina, in a written statement. “The development and commercialization of Nextera DNA Flex reflects Illumina’s commitment to innovation and our team’s dedication to building comprehensive sequencing solutions our customers can trust. Furthermore, the core technology components on which Nextera is based can be utilized by our partners as library prep toolkit components to support the development of additional applications.”