New Method to Directly Sequence Small Genomes Without Library Preparation

On 10 December, Science Daily published an article about a new method to directly sequence small genomes without library preparation. For the first time, researchers sequenced DNA molecules without the need for the standard pre-sequencing workflow known as library preparation.

Using this approach, the researchers fom Singer Institute and Brabham Institute generated sequence data using considerably less DNA than is required using standard methods, even down to less than one nanogram of DNA; 500 times less DNA than is needed by standard practices.
Libraries are collections of DNA fragments derived from genomic samples using molecular biology techniques specific to the sequencing technology being used. They are laborious, time consuming, and often DNA consuming. This new technique has the potential to greatly reduce DNA consumption and the time it takes to generate sequencing data from small genomes.

Especially for the identification of microorganisms, this will be an interesting approach. "To sequence microorganisms, one needs to be able to grow them in a lab first," says Dr Tamir Chandra, lead author from the Babraham Institute. "Not only is this time consuming, but sometimes micro-organisms do not grow, making it extremely difficult to sequence their genome. "With this method we can directly sequence these organisms and find out their identity in a short space of time."

The article entitled "New Method to Directly Sequence Small Genomes Without Library Preparation" in Science daily provides further datails.