New England Biolabs® to Present Latest Innovations for NGS Sample Preparation at AGBT 2017

IPSWICH, Mass., Feb. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- How far can laboratories push the limits of sample input for RNA sequencing? Can an enzyme-based approach reliably and randomly generate DNA fragments without mechanical shearing? For methylome analysis, are there simpler alternatives to bisulfite treatment?

These are just a few of the questions that will be answered by New England Biolabs (NEB) at this year's Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) General Meeting from February 13-16 in Hollywood, Florida. NEB scientists and customers, including Peter Ellis, Senior Staff Scientist at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, will preview a host of library preparation methods and upcoming NEBNext technologies that address these common issues in various next generation sequencing (NGS) applications.

"Many of today's NGS challenges, whether it's working with low sample input or increasing efficiencies, require a different way of thinking in order to come up with a solution," said Fiona Stewart, Portfolio Manager for Next Generation Sequencing at NEB. "We're excited to showcase our work towards overcoming these obstacles, as well as what's coming up in NEB's product pipeline later this year, at AGBT."

During the conference, NEB will be situated in Suite #216. Below is a sneak preview of what NEB will feature at AGBT:

Novel enzymatic fragmentation method for low-cost, single-tube library preparation
In the Bronze Sponsor session, Peter Ellis from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute will speak on "Next generation DNA library construction for high-throughput genomics." This will include NEB's new enzyme-based DNA fragmentation method that is also combined with end repair and dA-tailing, in a single tube. The protocol reliably generates desired fragment sizes, regardless of input amount and GC content. This presentation will take place on Thursday, February 16 at 9:40am.

Low input, high-efficiency RNA library preparation kits
NEB will preview the latest version of their RNA library prep kits. The new NEBNext Ultra™ II kits improve on their predecessors by lowering input amounts by a factor of 10-20, and require fewer PCR cycles, while creating higher quality libraries in a streamlined, automation-friendly workflow. Additionally, data assessing the kits' ability to produce substantially higher yields than other commercially available products will be presented.

"Bisulfite-free" methylome analysis at single-base resolution
Although sodium bisulfite sequencing has become an established method for mapping methylation in epigenetic studies, bisulfite treatment cannot distinguish methyl groups from hydroxymethylcytosine, can damage target DNA, and may involve multiple chemical steps that are intrinsically inefficient and costly to perform. Theodore Davis, Executive Director of Applications and Product Development at NEB, will present data on a novel bisulfite-free, enzyme-based method for methylome analysis that is currently in development. Davis' presentation titled "APOBEC-Seq: An enzymatic method for methylome analysis at single-base resolution without bisulfite treatment", will take place in the Transcriptome & Epigenomics session on Wednesday, February 15 at 9:10pm.  

Pre-designed gene content and highly specific BRCA1/BRCA2 enrichment with NEBNext Direct^® technology
NEB will expand upon their NEBNext Direct technology by introducing a new panel that offers superior enrichment with full exon coverage of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.  Attendees will also be able to learn about an upcoming new way to access NEBNext Direct; select from 450 genes with pre-designed baits, for fast turnaround and high performance.

An evening with NEBNext scientists
NEB will host a "NEBNext Soiree" cocktail event to provide conference attendees an opportunity to engage with NEBNext scientists, as well as a chance to win an iPad^® mini on Tuesday, February 14 at 9:30pm in Suite 216.

There will also be several posters describing some of NEB's latest research projects, collaborations and technological advances, including:

• E. Dimalanta et al. - "A simple, low-input library construction method for minimal bias and increased accuracy"
• P. Liu et al. - "DNA repair increases sequencing accuracy without altering actual mutation frequency in clinical samples"
• J. Ong and V. Potapov - "Examining sources of error in PCR by single-molecule sequencing"
• K. O'Connor et al. - "Immune repertoire variability between healthy controls and patients with myasthenia gravis"
• J. Zimmermann et al. - "Automation of NEBNext Direct Target Enrichment using the Beckman^® Biomek^® FX^p Platform"
• N. Henig et al. - "Somatic copy number variant detection using the NEBNext Direct target enrichment method"
• A. Emerman et al. - "Amplification-free target enrichment and library construction using the NEBNext Direct approach"

For a summary of NEB's activities at the 2017 AGBT conference, visit www.neb.com/AGBT2017

For more information on the NEBNext line of reagents and sample preparation, visit www.NEBNext.com

NEW ENGLAND BIOLABS^®, NEB^®, NEBNext^® and NEBNEXT DIRECT^® are registered trademarks of New England Biolabs, Inc.
NEBNext Ultra™ is a trademark of New England Biolabs, Inc.
iPad^® is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc.
BECKMAN^® and BIOMEK^® are registered trademarks of Beckman Coulter, Inc.

About New England Biolabs
Established in the mid 1970's, New England Biolabs, Inc. (NEB) is the industry leader in the discovery and production of enzymes for molecular biology applications and now offers the largest selection of recombinant and native enzymes for genomic research. NEB continues to expand its product offerings into areas related to PCR and qPCR, gene expression, sample preparation for next generation sequencing, synthetic biology, glycobiology, epigenetics and RNA analysis. Additionally, NEB is focused on strengthening alliances that enable new technologies to reach key market sectors, including molecular diagnostics development. New England Biolabs is a privately held company, headquartered in Ipswich, MA, and has extensive worldwide distribution through a network of exclusive distributors, agents and seven subsidiaries located in Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore and the UK. For more information about New England Biolabs visit www.neb.com.

SOURCE New England Biolabs

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