High-Throughput Sample Preparation for SMRT® Sequencing

The PacBio® RS II technology continues to evolve with extension of read lengths and increases in data output, rendering it a tractable approach for a variety of applications.   These advances necessitate protocols for higher-throughput sample processing.  Successful implementation of liquid handling automation incorporates flexibility and scalability for increased throughput and reproducibility without compromising data quality.   Here we present co-developed solutions from Pacific Biosciences and PerkinElmer for automated preparation of to 2, 10, and 20 kb gDNA SMRTbell™ templates on the Sciclone® NGS Workstation. These methods provide automated preparation of 8 to 96 samples within an 8 hour time period, and the data generated conforms to published and supported specifications for manual processing using the PacBio RS II.