Next-Generation DNA Sequencing Systems Adopted, Capillary Systems Retained

More than one out of every four sequencers owned by labs surveyed is still a Sanger or capillary type system, and almost all are made by Life Technologies (Carlsbad, CA, USA)/Applied Biosystems (part of Life Technologies).

The report includes model ownership statistics, cross-ownership data by brand, information on applications, plans, and regional ownership data. It is based on a telephone consultation of 110 laboratories, which was carried out from April to June of 2013. The survey effort targeted labs likely to be doing, or likely to be considering, applications of sequencing in either diagnostic or clinical research settings.

Capillary or Sanger systems use an older technology, and operate at a much lower capacity and speed compared to the newer systems and chemistries introduced in the last several years. The most common of the capillary systems are the Life Tech/ABI 3730xl and the 3730, which together make up 60% of the capillary systems used by labs in the survey. The report suggests that those systems are not sought by many labs, but those labs that have them can keep them going for many years.

“Capillary systems are still in use, for most labs at roughly the same amount on a year-to-year basis, although they aren't being purchased as often currently,” said Justin Saeks, the report’s author. “They still have a role for sequencing individual genes or a few genes at a time, or also for validating the results from NGS.”

The survey found interest in NGS continues to grow, but does disproportionately benefit a particular company and keeps them competitive in the market in ways other analyses of the sequencing market may have overlooked. Life Tech/ABI also benefits from the longevity of its capillary systems, added Justin Saeks, because they are selling most of the consumables used in these systems, while in NGS, the consumables market is more competitive. This factor is important in understanding the competitive situation in the marketplace for sequencers.

Capillary systems are being used as a validation step for NGS in clinical applications. For example, when a patient sample receives a positive diagnosis from NGS, capillary sequencers are often used to confirm those results. The higher cost per base is offset by the higher quality data, and may be mitigated if only one or a few newly diagnosed mutated gene(s) needs to be sequenced for validation purposes. Capillary sequencing continues to be essentially a gold standard, after its long history of accuracy and cost-effectiveness for regulated patient samples.

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