Tyler O'Neal, Staff Editor CLOUD

China's MGI launches genetic sequencer supercomputer; completes 60 whole human genomes per day

Today the ultra-high-throughput genetic sequencer, DNBSEQ-T7, independently developed by Shenzhen’s MGI Tech Co., Ltd. (MGI) was officially delivered to business partners. The first sequencers have arrived at the joint labs of partners such as BGI Tech Solutions Co., Ltd. and WeGene. Pre-delivery user test data showed that T7 performed well according to all indicators.

As the highest throughput sequencer to date,  DNBSEQ-T7 has achieved a number of breakthroughs: the first 4-chip sequencing platform, completing full load PE150 within 24 hours, generating 6Tb of data per day, and completing up to 60 whole human genomes per day. The commercial delivery of T7 will help MGI lead the gene sequencing industry to further breakthrough technical barriers of previous technologies, achieve better cost performance, and become an important force driving the development of the global genetic industry.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of China's participation in the Human Genome Project. Scientists from six countries spent 13 years mapping the first human genome at a cost of nearly $3 billion. The cost of whole-genome sequencing has fallen to less than $1,000 today, and the commercialization of DNBSEQ-T7is expected to further reduce the cost of personal whole-genome sequencing to less than $500.

As it was officially put into commercial use,  the T7 has also been renamed DNBSEQ-T7 from the initial MGISEQ-T7 name, in order to highlight MGI's unique DNBSEQ sequencing technology. Starting from T7, MGI is changing the sequencer prefix from “MGISEQ” to “DNBSEQ”, and the corresponding sequencing reagent names will be changed simultaneously.

DNBSEQ-T7{module In-article}

DNBSEQ-T7

Higher throughput, higher speed -- accelerating progress of the human genome era

BGI Tech Solutions Co., Ltd. (BGI Tech) and WeGene are the first customers of the DNBSEQ-T7 sequencer. Dr. Gao Qiang, CEO of BGI Tech, said, “The sequencers developed by MGI have achieved world-class performance in all aspects and have gradually taken the lead in industry technology development and standards development.”  Such advances in MGI's sequencing platform are based on its own core technology and leading R&D and innovation capabilities, he said. “The advanced equipment platform, combined with the growth of MGI technology in the genomics industry for many years, will provide more accurate, professional and fast services for experts and scholars engaged in the research and development of genomics science and technology.”

Dr. Chen Gang, founder, and CEO of WeGene said, “With personal genome and group genomics services as the core, WeGene is committed to promoting research and prevention of major diseases and accelerating the development of drugs and therapeutic methods through genomics and big data technologies. With its ultra-high sequencing throughput and comprehensive automation capabilities, the DNBSEQ-T7 sequencer will be the core platform for WeGene's genomic data and the most important infrastructure for WeGene's development goals. With computing and machine learning, DNBSEQ-T7 is opening a new chapter in genomic big data."

20190909130005 8214 ccff7

DNBSEQ-T7 delivered to WeGene

In the genomics industry, the genetic sequencer serves as the starting point and provides the most basic support for the entire midstream and downstream sequencing services. Through continuous improvement in research and development strength, enterprises such as MGI have gradually broken the upstream market monopoly, providing greater choice for customers, and embodying the core of China's technological advancement and production capacity.

Jiang Hui, chief operating officer of MGI, said, “The cost of gene sequencing is falling exponentially faster than Moore’s law, which helps the rapid development of cutting-edge genetic technology. The official delivery of T7 reflects the profound development of MGI’s upstream technology. With its ability to accumulate and innovate its leading products, MGI will fully support industry users to obtain higher quality, more cost-effective sequencing equipment and services, accelerate the progress of the human genome, and reshape the industry ecology."

The T7 made its debut at the 13th International Conference on Genomics (ICG-13) in 2018. Based on the unique sequencing technology DNBSEQ, T7 has upgraded its chip, fluid, biochemical and optical systems to further improve sequencing efficiency. Whether it's a single chip operation or four chips running independently, the DNBSEQ-T7 maintains a powerful processing capability, and it takes less than 24 hours to complete PE150 sequencing. In addition, with a 20% increase in chip density, a single chip can achieve Tb-level data output and can generate up to 6Tb of data per day, helping customers achieve powerful data output.

High data quality, flexible operation mode -- comprehensive service for many kinds of large-scale gene sequencing applications

DNBSEQ-T7 fully supports genome-wide sequencing, ultra-high-depth whole-exome sequencing, epigenome sequencing, tumor large gene detection, and other application scenarios.

Taking whole-genome sequencing as an example, the first sequencing data of DNBSEQ-T7 has performed well. This batch of sequencing data was prepared using the human cell line standard sample and the MGIEasy PCR-free DNA library preparation kit to complete the database through DNBSEQ-T7RS high-throughput sequencing reagent kits. The kit (PE100) was sequenced and the genome-wide data analysis was performed using MegaBOLT, a bioinformatics analysis acceleration software developed by MGI.

The SNP and Indel results of whole-genome sequencing showed that the coverage of 20X was above 95%, the accuracy and sensitivity of SNP for mutation detection were over 99%, and the accuracy and sensitivity of Indel were above 98%.

20190909130318 7907 30308

In addition to its ultra-high throughput and high data quality, DNBSEQ-T7 also has more automation than previous products; it supports automatic cleaning and automatic recovery of sequencing slides, seamlessly linking to the next round of sequencing, and supporting running for a whole day. At the same time, as a corresponding device of DNBSEQ-T7, MGIDL-T7 can load prepared DNA nanoballs (DNBs) or reagents onto the chip and can load 1-2 chips in two hours.

20190909130408 6725 468b4

In line with the ultra-high throughput of DNBSEQ-T7, MGI also provides complete pre-sequencing and post-sequencing analysis solutions to support the continuous output of ultra-high-throughput data. In this solution, whether it is nucleic acid extraction, library preparation, or accelerated analysis of off-line data, the optional automation equipment is adapted to fully release the powerful data throughput of DNBSEQ-T7.

The milestone of the release of DNBSEQ-T7 demonstrates MGI’s commitment to helping the global genetic sequencing industry to significantly reduce the cost of sequencing and enter into the era of the $100 USD whole genome.

German researchers build new molecule that changes properties through light

Tyler O'Neal, Staff Editor CLOUD

In the field of computer engineering, magnetically switchable materials play a significant role in data storage. A team from the Cluster of Excellence Ruhr Explores Solvation at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) has developed and manufactured a novel molecule called 3-methoxy-9-fluorenylidene. What's special about it: its magnetic properties can be controlled through the light of different colors. This might be of use for the supercomputer industry.

The researchers working with Professor Wolfram Sander at the Chair of Organic Chemistry II outline their findings in the journal "Angewandte Chemie" on 14 August 2019.

Broad application range of magnetic materials

Magnetism is indispensable in computer engineering. Magnetism controls, for example, the information flow from the computer to magnetic storage media such as hard disks. Moreover, magnetic storage devices use read/write heads in the form of magnets that identify (i.e. read) or alter (i.e. write) the magnetization patterns on the hard disk. CAPTION Tobias Thomanek, Enrique Mendez Vega and Wolfram Sander (from left). Not depicted, but significantly involved in the study: Iris Trosien. CREDIT RUB, Marquard{module In-article}

Methoxy group controls magnetic properties

Developed by Wolfram Sander and his team, the organic molecule 3-methoxy-9-fluorenylidene is based on a fluorine scaffold with a methoxy group attached in the shape of a rotational tail.

The researchers have figured out that the molecule's magnetic properties are determined by the orientation of the methoxy group, which changes its conformation depending on the kind of light that hits it.

Blue light switches the methoxy group into the "up" conformation forming the diamagnetic and less reactive singlet state. Whereas green light rotates the methoxy group down at the molecule, which results in the paramagnetic triplet state that has a higher reactivity against molecular hydrogen.

Interesting for research and industry

Because of its properties, 3-methoxy-9-fluorenylidene is of great interest to researchers. "Using this group of atoms, we can study the spin dependence of reactions. It could also play a role in the development of novel switchable magnetic materials and chemical sensors," predicts Sander.

Compared with traditional ferromagnetic materials, 3-methoxy-9-fluorenylidene offers considerable advantages: magnetism can be switched on and off through visible light. Moreover, organic magnets are not brittle like conventional magnets, but flexible and can be processed like plastics.

The snag

However, the molecule does have one drawback: it is stable only at extremely low temperatures. "This is why we are researching into magnetically switchable materials that can be used under ambient conditions," says Wolfram Sander.

CU scientists discover meteors help Martian clouds form

Tyler O'Neal, Staff Editor CLOUD

How did the Red Planet get all of its clouds? CU Boulder researchers may have discovered the secret: just add meteors.

Astronomers have long observed clouds in Mars' middle atmosphere, which begins about 18 miles (30 kilometers) above the surface, but have struggled to explain how they formed.

Now, a new study, which will be published on June 17 in the journal Nature Geoscience, examines those wispy accumulations and suggests that they owe their existence to a phenomenon called "meteoric smoke"--essentially, the icy dust created by space debris slamming into the planet's atmosphere.

The findings are a good reminder that planets and their weather patterns aren't isolated from the solar systems around them.

"We're used to thinking of Earth, Mars and other bodies as these really self-contained planets that determine their own climates," said Victoria Hartwick, a graduate student in the Department of Atmospheric and Ocean Sciences (ATOC) and lead author of the new study. "But climate isn't independent of the surrounding solar system."

The research, which included co-authors Brian Toon at CU Boulder and Nicholas Heavens at Hampton University in Virginia, hangs on a basic fact about clouds: They don't come out of nowhere.

"Clouds don't just form on their own," said Hartwick, also of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at CU Boulder. "They need something that they can condense onto."

On Earth, for example, low-lying clouds begin life as tiny grains of sea salt or dust blown high into the air. Water molecules clump around these particles, becoming bigger and bigger until they form the large puffs that you can see from the ground.

But, as far as scientists can tell, those sorts of cloud seeds don't exist in Mars' middle atmosphere, Hartwick said. And that's what led her and her colleagues to meteors.

Hartwick explained that about two to three tons of space debris crash into Mars every day on average. And as those meteors rip apart in the planet's atmosphere, they inject a huge volume of dust into the air.

To find out if such smoke would be enough to give rise to Mars' mysterious clouds, Hartwick's team turned to massive supercomputer simulations that attempt to mimic the flows and turbulence of the planet's atmosphere. {module In-article} 

And sure enough, when they included meteors in their calculations, clouds appeared.

"Our model couldn't form clouds at these altitudes before," Hartwick said. "But now, they're all there, and they seem to be in all the right places."

The idea might not be as outlandish as it sounds, she added. Research has shown that similar interplanetary schmutz may help to seed clouds near Earth's poles.

But she also says that you shouldn't expect to see gigantic thunderheads forming above the surface of Mars anytime soon. The clouds her team studied were much more like bits of cotton candy than the clouds Earthlings are used to.

"But just because they're thin and you can't really see them doesn't mean they can't have an effect on the dynamics of the climate," Hartwick said.

The researchers' simulations, for example, showed that middle atmosphere clouds could have a large impact on the Martian climate. Depending on where the team looked, those clouds could cause temperatures at high altitudes to swing up or down by as much as 18 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius).

And that climactic impact is what gets Brian Toon, a professor in ATOC, excited. He said that the team's findings on modern-day Martian clouds may also help to reveal the planet's past evolution and how it once managed to support liquid water at its surface.

"More and more climate models are finding that the ancient climate of Mars, when rivers were flowing across its surface and life might have originated, was warmed by high altitude clouds," Toon said. "It is likely that this discovery will become a major part of that idea for warming Mars."