Pacific Biosciences Launches Single Molecule, Real-Time Sequencing System

We are excited to announce the PacBio^® RS II, our latest innovation in Single Molecule, Real-Time (SMRT^®) Sequencing that provides the industry’s highest consensus accuracy and longest read lengths, with double the throughput of the previous model, the PacBio RS.

The PacBio^® RS II allows users to rapidly and cost effectively generate finished genome assemblies, reveal and understand epigenomes, and characterize genomic variation. The sequencing system can generate average read lengths of 5,000 base pairs, with the longest reads above 20,000 base pairs in length. The PacBio^® RS II System, including consumables and software, provides a simple, fast, end-to-end sequencing workflow in research areas including infectious disease and microbiology, agriculture, and understanding rare diseases.

With the PacBio^® RS II, the number of simultaneously observable sequencing reactions is doubled - effectively doubling the throughput of the system. This increase in the number of reads will drive new applications such as full-length cDNA analysis and full-length 16S metagenomics. The PacBio^® RS II features our C2 and XL chemistries, new analysis software with automated de novo assembly, and other improvements released in the past two years, including: increased consensus accuracy to greater than 99.999% (Q50), a quadrupling of average read lengths, and a 10-fold reduction in input DNA required.

Richard Gibbs, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of the Department of Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine and Director of the Human Genome Sequencing Center, was among the early access users of the PacBio^® RS. "I have been very impressed with the progress Pacific Biosciences has made with this unique technology. With each performance upgrade, our ability to handle more complex projects increases. We are now using the system to improve the sequence of mammalian genomes."

Customers with existing PacBio^® RS Systems can purchase an upgrade, which will convert the PacBio^® RS to the new PacBio^® RS II. Installations of the new system are currently in progress. For more information on the PacBio^® RS II, download the new brochure or visit our website.