A common question we’re asked is what library preparation applications are researchers most interested in. Providers starting their own core facility, bioinformaticians writing software for a particular pipeline and others trying to gauge demand for NGS applications are most interested in this answer. In the last three months we looked at the number of initiated projects on Genohub that included library preparation. Projects initiated on Genohub are made through our Shop by Project: https://genohub.com/shop-by-next-gen-sequencing-project/ or our Shop by Technology: https://genohub.com/shop-by-next-gen-sequencing-technology/ interfaces. Users enter project information like coverage or the number of required reads and can specify if they prefer one platform over another. Genohub’s intelligent project matching engine takes this data and displays packages that consist of provider services that match the user’s request. Users who select a package and begin direct communication with the provider are considered those who have initiated a project. A summary of the library preparation applications those users choose in the projects started between 10/2013 and 12/2013 are plotted in Figure 1 (data of projects using our complementary consultation service was also included in this graph).  

RNA-Seq projects encompass all those starting with Total RNA, ribosomal depleted and poly-A select RNA. These applications were the most popular followed by projects involving whole genome sequencing. RNA-Seq’s growing versatility as both an expression analysis and de novo assembly/construction tool are likely the reasons for the greatest number of projects on Genohub. Targeted DNA applications were also frequently performed as Exome, 16S V4 and other Amplicon-Seq projects consisted of the 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th most commonly started projects on Genohub. While not illustrated in Figure 1, specialized applications related to Methyl-Seq and ChIP-Seq were some of the fastest growing.

Having recently started, we expect these numbers to grow significantly. We’ll keep the community updated with our latest data. If you’re a researcher or service provider that has a unique NGS application, we’d like to hear about it ! For inquiries or suggestions please contact us at support@genohub.com.