Illumina NovaSeq X Series sequencers

Illumina has launched the NovaSeq X Series (NovaSeq X and NovaSeq X Plus) of production-scale sequencers, designed to enable faster, more powerful and more sustainable sequencing for genome medicine applications. The NovaSeq X Plus can generate more than 20,000 whole genomes per year — 2.5 times the throughput of prior sequencers, the company says — accelerating genomic discovery and clinical insights, to understand disease and transform patient lives.

Illumina says it has redesigned every dimension of its sequencers to increase speed, scale, accuracy and sustainability for the series. Highlights include the launch of a new sequencing by synthesis (SBS) chemistry, formerly known as Chemistry X — now known as XLEAP-SBS — engineered for 2x higher speed and accuracy; the company’s highest-resolution optics and ultrahigh-density flow cells, delivering 2.5x greater throughput while driving down sequencing costs; the integration of onboard DRAGEN Bio-IT with ORA compression, enabling fully automated secondary analysis with 5x lossless data compression; and the creation of 15 thermostable reagents, supporting ambient-temperature shipping, eliminating the need for dry ice and reducing waste.

The NovaSeq X also features a 90% reduction in packaging waste and weight and 50% reduction in plastic usage compared to NovaSeq 6000. The enablement of ambient-temperature shipping of reagents should result in nearly 500 tons of dry ice savings per year, while reducing waste streams for users.