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Genetics & Biotechnology vocabulary · Sequencing and Genomics

Next-generation sequencing

Meaning in genetics & biotechnology, with examples

nounCore term

In genetics & biotechnology, next-generation sequencing means: Modern technologies that read millions or billions of DNA fragments in parallel, making it fast and cheap to sequence whole genomes, exomes or many genes at once.

In Turkish: yeni nesil dizileme, NGS

How it is used

Usually shortened to NGS. Used in research, cancer diagnostics and inherited disease testing, as in 'an NGS panel'. It is also called massively parallel or high-throughput sequencing. Short-read NGS gives reads of about 100 to 300 bases; long-read platforms give much longer ones.

Example sentences

  1. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) of the tumor found two actionable mutations.

  2. Thanks to next-generation sequencing, a human genome can now be sequenced in a few days.

Common collocations

  • NGS panel
  • NGS data
  • NGS library
  • NGS platform
  • targeted NGS
  • sequencingAny method that works out the exact order of bases (A, T, G and C) in a piece of DNA or RNA.
  • readIn sequencing, a single DNA sequence that the machine produces from one fragment. A sequencing run produces millions of reads.
  • library preparationThe steps that turn a DNA or RNA sample into a form a sequencer can read, usually by breaking it into fragments and attaching short adapter sequences.
  • whole-genome sequencingSequencing nearly all of an organism's DNA, both the genes and the regions between them, in a single test.
  • coverageThe average number of sequencing reads that cover each base of the target region. Higher coverage gives more confident results.

More terms: Sequencing and Genomics

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