DNA Sequencing

Overview

The DNA Sequencing area teams of the Wellcome Sanger Institute support the research of all scientists in their use of genomic data to understand the underlying biology of health, disease and evolution. From cancer to the individual cells that make up a human body, and from parasitic worms to endangered species, our DNA sequencing teams employ specialist knowledge to apply a range of DNA reading technologies (from so-called shotgun sequencing using next-generation sequencers and reference genomes, to single-molecule real-time long-read approaches that can provide high-quality de novo reference genomes).

The DNA Sequencing area teams of the Wellcome Sanger Institute support the research of all scientists in their use of genomic data to understand the underlying biology of health, disease and evolution. From cancer to the individual cells that make up a human body, and from parasitic worms to endangered species, our DNA sequencing teams employ specialist knowledge to apply a range of DNA reading technologies. Ian Johnston, Head of Sequencing Operations, leads the DNA sequencing teams.

The DNA Sequencing teams deliver:

• High quality human genomes on the latest Illumina sequencing platforms at significant scale
• In-depth long read sequences of both human and animal genomes on PacBio and ONT platforms
• Continuous improvement and refinement of protocols to maximise the efficiency of products and pipelines
• High quality customer service provision to our stakeholders through our dedicated scientific support team
• The equivalent of one 30X human genome every 3.5 minutes
• The equivalent of one 1X human genome every 7 seconds
• The DNA sequence for around 63 different species per month

In collaboration DNA sequencing teams are processing the remaining 450,000 samples in the UK Biobank cohort. UKB is a major national resource for health research, with the aim of improving the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of serious and life-threatening illnesses – including cancer, heart diseases, stroke, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, eye disorders, depression and forms of dementia.