Genomic data have become commonplace in most branches of the biological sciences and have fundamentally altered the way research is conducted. However, the predominance of high-throughput, short-read sequence data from second-generation technologies has commonly resulted in fragmented and partial genomic data characteristics. Long, unbiased reads from SMRT sequencing now allow for a return to more contiguous and comprehensive views of genomes. I will present several examples highlighting this transition, including finished microbial and fungal genomes, improved complex genomes by resolving structural variation and previously inaccessible genomic regions, full-length transcriptomes, and epigenome information as part of SMRT sequencing.
Jonas Korlach, Chief Scientic Officer, Pacific Biosciences