Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today introduced its newest next-generation sequencing (NGS) library prep solution — Agilent SureSelectXT HS — a complete target enrichment research solution that provides total workflow management for laboratories, from QC to target enrichment, to analysis and interpretation.

SureSelectXT HS is a streamlined, high-sensitivity (HS) solution for research, optimized for labs with a requirement to sequence DNA from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples, which may have degraded over time. By incorporating molecular barcodes, SureSelectXT HS improves overall precision and produces higher complexity libraries than competing products, on a broad range of tissue types and low- and high-quality FFPE samples.

"This customizable target enrichment technology with integrated molecular barcode error correction enables us to detect ultra-low mutation frequencies in very small DNA quantities," said Dr. Marco Gerlinger of the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royale Marsden Hospital in London. "These features make it ideal for the detection and tracking of clonal and subclonal variants in liquid biopsies."

SureSelectXT HS libraries, with higher percentage reads in targeted regions, require as little as 10 ng of starting DNA, and use molecular barcodes to assist error correction. Additionally, faster and more efficient processing with master-mixed reagents that require less hands-on time, coupled with a 90-minute hybridization — the most rapid hybridization on the market — enables labs to now move from sample to sequencer in a single day.

"SureSelectXT HS provides robust library preparation for low-input, degraded FFPE samples, as well as significantly reduced turnaround time," said Jeff Heimburger, head of genomics marketing at Agilent. "These advances highlight Agilent's continued commitment to alleviating customer pain and improving lab efficiency through innovation."