Single molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing comes of age: applications and utilities for medical diagnostics.

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Ardui S, Ameur A, Vermeesch JR, Hestand MS

Nucleic Acids Res. 46 (5) 2159-2168 [2018-03-16; online 2018-02-06]

Short read massive parallel sequencing has emerged as a standard diagnostic tool in the medical setting. However, short read technologies have inherent limitations such as GC bias, difficulties mapping to repetitive elements, trouble discriminating paralogous sequences, and difficulties in phasing alleles. Long read single molecule sequencers resolve these obstacles. Moreover, they offer higher consensus accuracies and can detect epigenetic modifications from native DNA. The first commercially available long read single molecule platform was the RS system based on PacBio's single molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing technology, which has since evolved into their RSII and Sequel systems. Here we capsulize how SMRT sequencing is revolutionizing constitutional, reproductive, cancer, microbial and viral genetic testing.

Bioinformatics Support for Computational Resources [Service]

NGI Uppsala (Uppsala Genome Center) [Collaborative]

National Genomics Infrastructure [Collaborative]

PubMed 29401301

DOI 10.1093/nar/gky066

Crossref 10.1093/nar/gky066

pii: 4833218
pmc: PMC5861413