IDT and Illumina collaborate to provide improved solutions for next generation sequencing market

Leaders in NGS tools collaborate to deliver robust multiplexing capabilities and streamline target enrichment methods

Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) today announced a broad partnership with Illumina, Inc. to provide improved library preparation multiplexing and target enrichment solutions for the next generation sequencing (NGS) market. The agreement will see IDT and Illumina leveraging their expertise in the genomics field to deliver enhanced tools for sequencing.

Under the partnership, the companies will develop a portfolio of indexed adapters to be manufactured by IDT. Specifically designed for multiplex NGS, the indexed adapters contain new sample index sequences, optimized for use on Illumina systems, including two-channel, patterned flow cell systems, such as the NovaSeq™ series. These novel indexed adapters will extend the number of unique dual indexes (UDI) from 8 to 24, allowing higher sample multiplexing capabilities with improved data quality. The companies intend to further expand to 96 UDI kits in Q4 of 2017.

Further, the optimized index codes will be available now via IDT for incorporation into custom third party NGS library prep adapter sets.

The partnership also includes a co-marketing agreement whereby the companies will provide a complete workflow for exome capture. This arrangement couples Illumina’s TruSeq^® and Nextera^® library prep kits with the industry’s best performing exome capture panel, IDT’s xGen^® Exome Research Panel. Users will benefit from more flexible, high quality solutions for whole exome sequencing and improved customer technical support as a result of the combined offering.

“We look forward to strengthening our relationship with IDT, so that we can better serve all NGS customers,” said Susan Tousi, senior vice president of product development at Illumina. “Our work with IDT will help us to enhance the suite of library prep offerings and multiplexing capabilities available to users of Illumina sequencing platforms. IDT is the optimal partner for this program because of their advanced nucleic acid synthesis capabilities.”

Trey Martin, chief operating officer at IDT, said:

We are excited to expand our partnership with Illumina, the leader in NGS, through the adapter co-development and exome capture co-marketing activities. Both companies are committed to working together to deliver high quality, comprehensive NGS solutions to our customers and enabling researchers to increase their discovery power. This relationship further exemplifies IDT’s longstanding commitment to delivering high quality genomics solutions to our customers and partners.