dna sequencing
Library prep is where most runs are won
See why fragmentation, ligation and extra PCR cycles decide a sequencing run, and which branch to take when library yield is low.
8 October 2026 · 10 min read
Topic cluster
DNA sequencing
Sanger and next-generation sequencing workflows, library quality, read interpretation and what to agree before a run.
All topicsBuffers and laboratory water26Cell culture26Chromatography26Cold chain and sample storage26Cytometry and microscopy26DNA sequencing26Gels and blotting26Gene expression26Genome editing26Immunoassays26Laboratory labware26Laboratory safety26Liquid handling26Microbiology26Molecular cloning26Nucleic acid purification26PCR and amplification26Protein biochemistry26Proteomics26Research sourcing and study design26
sequencingglossarystudy designsangerligationngsampliconbioinformaticsfastqlibrary prepchromatogramcoveragefragmentationindexeslong readsmultiplexingplate mapsprimers
26 articles
dna sequencing
Long-read sequencing for structural variants
How to judge whether a long read can span an insertion, deletion, inversion or repeat that short reads only split or fail to cross.
8 October 2026 · 9 min read
dna sequencing
Metagenomic sequencing overview
Plan shotgun sequencing of community DNA, including host contamination, rare taxa, and assembly versus read classification.
8 October 2026 · 11 min read
Pillar · dna sequencing
Next-generation sequencing from library to reads
How a sequencing library becomes reads: adapters, flow cells, quality scores and the checks that stop a bad library from wasting a run.
8 October 2026 · 8 min read
dna sequencing
Quality scores and a FASTQ file
Read the four lines of a FASTQ record, treat Q20 and Q30 as planning thresholds, and expect quality to fall toward the end of a read.
8 October 2026 · 10 min read
dna sequencing
Questions for a Sanger versus NGS decision
Questions that separate a Sanger trace from a short-read pool: one amplicon, a mixture, a haplotype, a plasmid junction. Turnaround is asked, not promised.
8 October 2026 · 8 min read
dna sequencing
Reference genomes and why the build matters
Keep the genome build with every coordinate, because GRCh38, hg19, patches, alt contigs and decoys do not share one numbering.
8 October 2026 · 9 min read
dna sequencing
Sample identity mix-ups and plate maps
A swapped column or a mismatched index ruins identity before chemistry starts. How plate maps, barcodes and fingerprints catch the swap.
8 October 2026 · 8 min read
dna sequencing
Sanger sequencing for a single amplicon
Decide when one cleaned amplicon belongs on a Sanger trace, and how mixed peaks, primer sit-down and dye blobs limit the claim.
8 October 2026 · 10 min read
dna sequencing
Troubleshooting a failed library quantification
A library number is not a molarity until the assay is named. How dye, adapter qPCR and a fragment trace disagree, and which disagreement matters.
8 October 2026 · 7 min read
dna sequencing
Variant calling is a model not a fact
Treat each VCF row as a model after alignment, and decide when a germline or somatic call still needs an orthogonal Sanger check.
8 October 2026 · 9 min read
dna sequencing
What to check before a sequencing run
What to confirm before a sequencing run: sample identity, amount, fragment size, indexes, and which failed check should stop the instrument.
8 October 2026 · 8 min read