In May 2014, the CPGR will boost its Genomics offering with the addition of four high-end next-generation sequencing instruments.
The organisation’s enhanced capacity will comprise of 1 MiSeq (Illumina), 2 Ion Torrent PGMs (Life Technologies) and 1 Ion Proton (Life Technologies).
We will employ a blend of sequencing technologies to offer the best possible support to small- and medium-sized projects with a diverse range of sequencing applications.
In addition to the increasing demand for NGS in bio-medical and agri-biological research, we plan to address a growing interest in clinical applications. For that reasons we are going to dedicate NGS capacity to providing molecular diagnostic applications.
In summary, we plan to achieve the following outcomes:
| Outcome | Description |
| Availability | The CPGR’s NGS capacity will complement existing platforms already existent in South Africa. We believe that our new offering will enhance Africa-based science and innovation in the fields such as bio-medicine, agricultural research and the veterinary sciences. In addition to employing our own resources we are going to work in partnership with other organisations to enhance scope and scale of NGS capacity available to stakeholders in Africa. |
| Accessibility | The CPGR employs an ‘open for all’ service provider philosophy paired with a collaborative project approach. We support projects from design to execution to analysis, to facilitate access to NGS applications for experts and novices alike. This approach is guided by structured interactions between CPGR and platform users to ensure that expectations in terms of cost and outcomes are met. In addition, we aim at providing training for NGS data analysis on a regular basis to complement existing capacity building efforts in (South) Africa. Access for customers from regulated environments (e.g. clinical labs and pharmaceutical industry) will be enabled by the fact that all NGS workflows are going to be embedded in an ISO 9001:2008 quality management framework. |
| Affordability | Our plan is to make individual NGS applications available at the lower end of the price spectrum to maximise access for a diverse range of users. A typical project will consist of a raw data and an optional basic data analysis component, each priced separately. In-depth data analysis is a possibility and will be provided on project-by-project basis. Prices for standard offerings will be in USD. |
Initially, the CPGR will be offering these applications in 2014:
- Whole exome sequencing (WES) – 30X
- RNA sequencing
- Whole genome sequencing (WGS) – 30X to 100X
- Microbial genome sequencing (5Mb genome)
- Fungal genome sequencing (250Mb)
- Viral sequencing
Additional workflows will come online in the course of 2014 and thereafter.
Dedicated information about developments in this area will be provided on our new website (going live in May 2014).
Please make sure to engage us regularly for news and developments related to our NGS service offering!
Contact
| Telephone: | +27 (0) 21 447 5669 |
| E-mail: | Lindsay.petersen@cpgr.org.za |
| Website: | www.cpgr.org.za |
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