by DNA Sequencing Tools Seeing Major Upgrades
DNA sequencing has become an essential tool for research in fields like genomics, medicine, forensics, and more. The past decade has seen tremendous improvements to DNA sequencing technologies that have enabled groundbreaking discoveries and new applications.Several companies are now developing the next generation of sequencing platforms aimed at delivering higher throughput, longer reads, and lower costs.
Pacific Biosciences is a leader in single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing. Their Sequel II system uses their proprietary SMRT technology to sequence single molecules of DNA in real-time. Recent updates have doubled the read lengths the sequencer can achieve to over 20kb. These long reads are able to assemble genomes more accurately and identify structural variants missed by shorter read technologies. Life Science Products Pacific Biosciences also continues to reduce the cost per Gb of data their systems produce.
Oxford Nanopore Technologies has taken a different approach to long-read sequencing with their portable MinION and higher-throughput PromethION sequencers. Instead of optical detection of fluorescent signals, Oxford’s technology relies on nanopores and electrical signals to identify DNA/RNA bases as they pass through. Their flow cells are inexpensive to manufacture and DNA can be directly loaded without extensive library prep work. Oxford Nanopore’s ever-improving software and chemistry updates are bringing read lengths closer to Pacific Biosciences capabilities.
Illumina remains the dominant player in the short-read sequencing market. The recently launched NovaSeq 6000 system is their highest-throughput platform yet, capable of producing 6 trillion reads in a single run. Illumina is also working on technologies like molecular tagging that could overcome some limitations of short reads by assigning sequence to DNA molecules of origin. However, both Pacific Biosciences and Oxford Nanopore continue making gains against Illumina’s traditional market share with long-read applications.
Advances in CRISPR Technologies Widen Research Applications
The revolutionary CRISPR gene editing tool, which allows researchers to easily and precisely alter DNA sequences, first emerged less than a decade ago yet has already transformed biomedical science. Constant improvements now enable new types of CRISPR experiments and applications across research areas.
One promising development is the creation of base editing tools that directly change one DNA base into another without making double-stranded breaks. This increases editing precision and reduces unwanted effects compared to traditional CRISPR-Cas9. Two different research groups independently developed cytosine base editors that convert C to T changes, while other editors can make A to G edits.
Prime editing is an even more advanced new system that combines concepts from base editing and prime genome editing. It allows programmable and efficient editing of all twelve possible single-base substitutions and small insertions and deletions in mammalian cells and organisms. This method could enable direct correction of many genetic defects without introducing DNA breaks.
Beyond editing DNA, newer “CRISPR interference” or CRISPRi techniques have been developed which use deactivated Cas9 enzymes to selectively block expression of target genes. Similarly, “CRISPR activation” techniques like CRISPRa work in the opposite way to upregulate gene transcription. These non-cutting CRISPR tools open up new options in fields such as neuroscience where permanent DNA changes could have undesired consequences.
The delivery of CRISPR components into cells and organisms also continues advancing. Researchers demonstrated the first successful germline genome editing of mice using CRISPR delivered directly via mRNA, avoiding the need for DNA plasmids or viruses as delivery vehicles. Non-viral delivery methods could help scale up CRISPR applications from basic research to clinical therapies.
Advancements in Life Science Products and Molecular Imaging
Microscopy technologies have greatly evolved in recent years, granting unprecedented views into the structure and dynamics of cells, tissues and microbiological specimens. Some of the most groundbreaking developments include:
Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) enables imaging of biological samples close to their native hydrated state at near-atomic resolutions. Researchers have determined the atomic structures of many proteins and protein complexes that had evaded crystallization using traditional X-ray crystallography methods. Cryo-EM facilities are becoming more widespread and user-friendly.
Expansion microscopy techniques allow routine super-resolution light microscopy beyond the diffraction limit. By embedding and enzymatically expanding biological samples, the spacing between labeled proteins or cellular structures is increased up to roughly 20-fold, boosting resolution around 10-20 nanometers. This opens new doors for analyzing 3D structures and interactions in situ.
Light sheet microscopy illuminates specimens from the side rather than from above, reducing photobleaching and phototoxicity for live cell imaging. Commercial light sheet instruments are transforming developmental biology by capturing entire organisms like zebrafish larvae with subcellular resolution over long periods. Some setups have multi-view detection for faster volumetric scanning.
Advances in fluorescent probes and labeling techniques now enable visualizing single biomolecules at work within cells. New methods leverage CRISPR to target fluorescent proteins or chemical tags to almost any genomic locus or RNA with high accuracy. These approaches could uncover the dynamics regulating cellular processes down to the single-molecule level.
Overall, many of today’s leading life science products innovations emphasize rapid 3D or 4D live cell visualization with minimal perturbation, epitomizing the ongoing effort to observe biological systems as closely as possible to their natural environments and behaviors. Researchers are now equipped with unparalleled tools for driving new discoveries in cell biology, neuroscience and more
*Note:
1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
