Merck Millipore Launches PureGenome™ Kits and Reagents for Fast and Efficient Preparation of Next Generation Sequencing Libraries

• Enables NGS library preparation in under two hours, less hands-on time than similar kits
• Delivers maximum library yields from less input DNA with minimal bias for better results
• Provides higher genome coverage and more matched reads
• Processes samples of virtually any biological liquid, whole tissue and tissue sections

August 14, 2012, Darmstadt, Germany — Merck Millipore, the Life Science division of Merck KGaA, today launched PureGenome™ kits and reagents for rapid and efficient Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) sample preparation. With these reagent sets, library preparation has been streamlined to two steps in under two hours, followed by a short enrichment step, thus alleviating a typical bottleneck in the sequencing process.

PureGenome™ library preparation is a simple, two-step process followed by amplification using Merck Millipore’s ultra-high fidelity KOD Hot Start DNA Polymerase Mastermix. This unique polymerase amplifies DNA with high processivity in highly TA- or GC-rich regions. The combined efficiency of library construction and accuracy of amplification enables maximum library yields from lower input DNA with minimal bias.

Sequencing data from libraries prepared using the PureGenome™ NGS library preparation reagents are of the highest quality with respect to Phred scoring (Q20>85%), minimal bias in GC coverage and higher ratios of matched:unmatched reads. Ultimately, better sequencing data translates into more meaningful biological results, especially in applications for which sensitivity and specificity are crucial, such as gene expression analysis or single-nucleotide polymorphism studies. The PureGenome™ NGS library preparation reagents are validated for Illumina® platform-compatible NGS libraries; however, end users have the flexibility to optimize for other platforms.

“To date, the cost and sample processing rate has been a bottleneck in NGS, and the choice of library preparation products has been somewhat limited,” notes John Sweeney, Executive Vice President, Merck Millipore Bioscience Division.  “PureGenome™ NGS library preparation reagents require less hands-on time and less overall processing time compared to similar platforms. In addition, the quality of sequencing data surpasses that of similar platforms with greater cost efficiency.” 

Supporting kits in the PureGenome™ workflow include the PureGenome™ Tissue DNA Extraction Kit, specifically validated for NGS library preparation from solid tissue, biological fluids and cell cultures, and the PureGenome™ On-Spot Tissue DNA Kit, which is used for extraction of DNA from targeted areas on tissue sections and enables analysis from minute samples. The PureGenome™ NGS Library Validator Kit enables highly accurate and cost-effective qPCR quantification of Illumina® platform-compatible NGS libraries.

For more information on the new PureGenome™ kits and reagents, click here.

About Merck Millipore
Merck Millipore is the Life Science division of Merck KGaA of Germany and offers a broad range of innovative, performance products, services and business relationships that enable our customers’ success in research, development and production of biotech and pharmaceutical drug therapies. Through dedicated collaboration on new scientific and engineering insights, and as one of the top three R&D investors in the Life Science Tools industry, Merck Millipore serves as a strategic partner to customers and helps advance the promise of life science.

Headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts, the division has around 10,000 employees, operations in 67 countries and 2011 revenues of EUR 2.4 billion. Merck Millipore operates as EMD Millipore in the U.S. and Canada.

Note: Merck KGaA or Merck shall mean Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany