ABSTRACT
Massively parallel sequencing is a highly dynamic area of genomics. While the current technologies are still evolving to further improve performance, new technologies are constantly being developed. With more researchers adopting the next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach for transcriptomics, genotyping, de novo genome assembly, protein-DNA interaction analysis, epigenomics, and metagenomics, the drive for cheaper, faster, more accurate, and more sensitive sequencing technologies that generate longer reads will only become greater. With the power of NGS being proven in research labs, it has been gradually accepted in clinical settings to improve diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of patients. On November 19, 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the first time approved the use of an NGS platform (the Illumina MiSeqDx system) for clinical use. The broadened use of NGS technologies in research and clinical settings has further accelerated the development of third-and future-generation sequencing technologies, including those based on the detection of electrical signals differentially induced by individual nucleotides.
