OMRF’s new DNA sequencer will help gather greater insights into Alzheimer’s, cancer

The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation recently introduced a new DNA sequencer that will help accelerate research on everything from Alzheimer’s disease to cancer. 

OMRF is one of just a few academic centers nationwide to receive the Illumina NovaSeq X Plus, a refrigerator-sized machine that can sequence up to 20,000 genomes a year, more than doubling OMRF’s current throughput. 

OMRF scientist Bill Freeman, Ph.D, said sequencing — determining the genetic makeup of an organism or cell type — is important to the organization’s work because it creates visualizations showing the effects of disease in research models. 

“The more data we have, the more insights we can garner,” Freeman said. “With this new sequencer, we get twice the data, which translates into better science.” 

Center Director Graham Wiley, Ph.D, said the new sequencer is also less costly to operate and those cost savings can help “unlock a new era of science.” 

“This enables less expensive and faster delivery of genetic data for understanding and treating diseases,” Wiley said.