The latest from the Lab: doubling our genotyping capacity

There’s never a quiet day in our laboratory, with samples arriving every day from customers all over the world. However, there’s one package in particular that we’ve been looking forward to.

This week we’ve taken delivery of our second new Illumina MiSeq ™ genetic sequencer. This welcome addition to our custom-built facility allows us to double our sequencing capacity. The MiSeq is the workhorse of our operation, allowing us to quickly and cost effectively analyse tissue samples to get the genetic insights we need to run some of the most advanced breeding programmes in aquaculture.

Rachael Wilbourn, our Laboratory Manager, is currently overseeing the final setup. “Given that over the last year alone we’ve analysed over 50,000 samples this is a big step forward for us. We’re taking on new customers all the time, and it’s vital that we can provide them with the analysis and guidance they need as quickly as possible. For us the MiSeq is an excellent platform, as it provides us with a rapid and cost effective genotyping solution, as well as the flexibility to adapt our SNP panels to meet our customer’s needs. Having a second sequencer is going to give us the capacity to not only increase our sample throughput, but also the opportunity to expand our research and development capabilities.”

Look out for more updates from our Laboratory team in the coming months.