A suite of tools said to radically simplify and accelerate library preparation, as well as enabling absolute quantification of amplified sequences, is available from Fluidigm Europe.
The Fluidigm Access Array Integrated Fluidic Circuit (IFC) eases reduces preparation for re-sequencing or long-range PCR because it facilitates the amplification and barcoding of 48 samples in parallel, with minimal time and labour and in as few as three hours with yields that are equimolar and routinely at 100,000,000 or 1,000,000,000.
Because every sample may be identified by its barcode, all 48 samples can be multiplexed at the sequencing step.
The Slingshot kit from Fluidigm determines the optimal sample concentration before samples advance to sequencing.
With Slingshot, digital PCR is used to determine the quantity of target sequences, improving sequencing results generally and enabling the sequencing of previously undetectable samples.
Exploiting the microfluidic properties of IFCs to detect only amplifiable molecules within the sample mixture, Slingshot has extremely small sample requirements, typically offering a 1000-fold reduction in input volumes.
As IFCs are able to count individual molecules, using digital PCR, SlingShot eliminates titration steps at the sequencing stage.
Slingshot requires three liquid handling steps per library.
