Partnership offers Next Generation Sequencing Applications

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, through a partnership with Illumina, offers automated methods to improve processes and throughput in next generation sequencing (NGS) sample preparation. Under the agreement, Beckman Coulter will use its extensive experience in automated NGS sample preparation to develop, distribute and support automation for Illumina’s TruSeq^® and Nextera^® sample preparation kits and Illumina will provide technical expertise on chemistry and protocols.

Optimised methods for the Illumina kits are built on Beckman Coulter’s proven Biomek liquid handling platforms and solutions include a unique suite of Biomek methods to address the defined protocol for each Illumina kit. The suites may also automate Beckman Coulter’s Agencourt extraction chemistries, AMPure XP Kit for DNA purification and SPRIselect Reagent Kit for efficient, high throughput, nucleic acid size selection improving important processes for next generation sequencing.

The first suite of methods, for Illumina’s TruSeq Stranded mRNA library kit, were developed on the Biomek FX^P Dual Arm Multi 96 and Span 8 instrument through collaboration among scientists from Beckman Coulter and the Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics, Indiana University, USA. Illumina provided guidance on the chemistry, manual protocol and results analysis. The suite covers all steps defined in each protocol and can process up to 96 samples per run. The methods generate quality libraries verified against Illumina’s benchmark sequencing metrics. Pre-programmed methods will also address qPCR setup, normalisation and sample pooling.

“Considering Beckman Coulter’s many years of expertise in liquid handling and automated NGS sample preparation, the partnership with Illumina is a natural fit,” said Chris Neary, Vice President, Product Management and Strategy, Beckman Coulter Life Sciences. 

“The ever-increasing sequencing capacity of next generation sequencing platforms, such as the Illumina HiSeq® system, gives researchers the opportunity to plan larger and more complex transcriptomic experiments,” said Zach Smith, Project Scientist at the Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics, Indiana University.

“Beckman Coulter is one of the leading providers of automation solutions to our sequencing customers,” said Peter Fromen, Senior Director, Product Marketing and Market Development at Illumina. “Having automation methods for our sample prep kits on the Biomek platform will benefit those customers by saving them significant time and effort to develop those methods themselves.”