Optimize FFPE Library Preparation for NGS
App Note / Case Study
Published: October 8, 2024
Credit: iStock
FFPE samples are essential for pathology and research but pose significant challenges in library preparation for next-generation sequencing (NGS) due to low inputs and chemical modification.
These issues can lead to poor library quality, reduced sequencing accuracy and artifacts that compromise variant detection.
This application note explores solutions that improve the quality of FFPE DNA libraries, offering consistency and reduced sequencing errors for sensitive research.
Download this application note to discover:
- How to achieve consistent library preparation from variable FFPE samples
- Methods to reduce artifacts and improve sequencing accuracy
- Strategies for optimizing FFPE DNA input for high-quality results
APPLICATION NOTE
INTRODUCTION
The preparation of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded
(FFPE) samples from tissue biopsies is standard practice
in clinical pathology, as it preserves cellular morphology
for microscopy-assisted diagnosis and enables long-term
archiving for retrospective studies. However, nucleic acids
retrieved from such samples are chemically and physically
damaged as a result of the fixation process, storage
conditions, and extraction methodology.1,2
As a consequence, FFPE DNA is typically limited in
quantity and highly variable in quality, which complicates
next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis. Low inputs
and chemical modification (such as cross-linking) impact
library preparation conversion rates, library complexity, and
amplification efficiency, and induce molecular artifacts that
impact variant calling accuracy and sequencing economy.
Given these intrinsic challenges, NGS library preparation
methods that limit further loss or distortion of biological
information are critical in oncology and other high-sensitivity
translational/clinical research applications.
Sonication is the most common method for shearing of
FFPE DNA for short-read sequencing, traditionally due to
lower fragmentation bias (compared to enzymatic methods,
including tagmentation) and better control over library
insert size and distribution. However, sonication requires
a significant capital investment, is laborious and difficult
to scale, results in the loss of already precious material,
and introduces sequencing artifacts when working with
FFPE samples.2
To address these pain points, Watchmaker Genomics has
developed a robust enzymatic fragmentation solution for
the preparation of high-quality libraries from FFPE DNA.
Our primary goals were to improve sequencing data
quality, workflow automatability, and operational efficiency
for users. The Watchmaker DNA Library Prep Kit with
Fragmentation (Figure 1) offers the convenience and
scalability of enzymatic fragmentation-based library
preparation kits, but with two important improvements:
• consistent, tunable insert sizes; independent of input
amount or FFPE quality; and
• significant mitigation of molecular artifacts associated
with the library construction process.
Here, we highlight key considerations when preparing
FFPE DNA libraries for short-read sequencing, discuss
mechanisms for controlling insert size and optimizing library
quality, and demonstrate improvements — particularly with
respect to sequencing artifacts — over libraries prepared
with a workflow that relies on sonication.
Enzymatic fragmentation enables scalable preparation of
high-quality FFPE libraries with minimal artifacts
Giulia Corbet, Philip Benson, Kailee Reed, Skyler Mishkin, Thomas Harrison, Zane Jafaar, Kristina Giorda, Josh Haimes,
Martin Ranik, Brian Kudlow | Watchmaker Genomics, Boulder, CO USA
Kristin Scott | Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO USA
HIGHLIGHTS
• Improved chemistry and flexible parameters enable
consistent fragmentation and control over FFPE
library insert size.
• Single-tube protocol limits sample loss, improves
library complexity and sequencing metrics, and
enables full automation.
• Minimal artifacts (compared to other enzymatic
fragmentation methods and sonication) facilitate
data interpretation and improves sequencing
economy.
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. 2
APPLICATION NOTE
FFPE LIBRARY PREPARATION:
KEY CONSIDERATIONS
FFPE quality assessment
Unlike high-quality genomic DNA preparations, FFPE DNA
samples are extremely varied. The degree of physical
degradation and chemical modification differs between
samples and depends on the original fixation method, how
long and under which conditions blocks were stored, and
the protocol and reagents used to extract DNA from the
archival material. Even within a batch of samples handled
and prepared in a similar manner, the final FFPE library
fragment size distribution and yield may vary significantly.
Quality assessment of input DNA is an invaluable tool in
the establishment and optimization of an FFPE library
preparation workflow. Electrophoretic methods used
routinely for library QC offer a good indication of DNA
degradation (degree of fragmentation), but do not provide
any insight into chemical damage such as crosslinking,
deamination, or other base modifications that impede the
conversion of FFPE DNA into sequencing libraries. Instead,
a quantitative PCR (qPCR)-based method — such as the
one described by Saelee, et al. (2022) — is recommended
to determine the amount of amplifiable (utilizable) DNA in a
sample.3
“Quality scores” determined with such assays are
typically good predictors of FFPE library prep outcomes.
Fragmentation parameters
The Watchmaker DNA Library Prep Kit with Fragmentation
contains a new generation of enzyme cocktails specifically
formulated to enable consistent fragmentation across DNA
input amounts (Figure 2). This obviates the need to finetune fragmentation parameters (time and in some cases,
temperature) for different sample cohorts or subsets of
samples, thereby facilitating adoption in clinical/translational
settings, and high-throughput/automated pipelines.
As indicated in Figure 1, mild fragmentation parameters
(3 min at 30°C) are recommended as a starting point for
FFPE DNA and support efficient library construction.
Post-ligation cleanup ratio
Mean insert sizes for FFPE libraries typically decrease with
decreasing FFPE quality, irrespective of the fragmentation
method used (Figure 2). This is attributed to chemical
damage that renders DNA resistant to fragmentation and
amplification. Sequencing read length is commonly tailored
to expected library insert size to minimize read overlap and
maximize sequencing economy, but the extent to which
this can be achieved depends on operational preferences
and constraints (such as having to pool libraries from lowquality FFPE samples with other samples for sequencing
on a production-scale sequencer).
With the Watchmaker solution, mean library insert size
may be tailored to the preferred sequencing read length by
adjusting the post-ligation SPRI ratio. Reducing the ratio
(from the standard 0.8X to 0.65X, or as low as 0.5X) favors
the retention of longer fragments (see Figure 3A), but
comes at a cost to final library yield.
Input into library prep
Lower library yields resulting from selecting for longer
insert sizes are effectively offset by the fact that enzymatic
fragmentation preserves more input DNA in comparison
to mechanical shearing, where up to 44% of template
Library prep time: 1 hr 30 min / Hands-on time: 45 min PCR time: 45 min / Hands-on time: 30 min
5X Frag/AT
Master Mix Adapter
3 min @ 30ºC
30 min @ 65ºC
4ºC HOLD
PCR Cycling
Frag/AT
Buffer
Frag/AT
Enzyme Mix
Ligation
Master Mix
Equinox
Amplification
Master Mix
P5/P7 or
User-supplied
Primers
Fragmentation
and A-tailing Ligation 15 min @ 20ºC Library
Amplification
0.65X SPRI
Cleanup
1X SPRI
Cleanup
Extracted
FFPE gDNA
FFPE
recommendations
FFPE
recommendations
Transfer
adapter-ligated
library to new tube
Transfer library
to new tube
Figure 1. The Watchmaker DNA Library Prep Kit with Fragmentation offers a robust, scalable solution for high-quality library preparation from FFPE samples of variable quality.
The simplified workflow combines integrated enzymatic fragmentation/A-tailing chemistry with a highly optimized Ligation Master Mix to produce adapter-ligated libraries in
single tube with three reagent additions and two incubations. This minimizes sample loss due to tube transfers and facilitates automation. The protocol offers flexibility with
respect to input amount and quality, fragmentation parameters, adapter design, cleanup ratios, and amplification parameters to achieve optimal results for different sample
types and sequencing applications. Optimization strategies are outlined in Figure 4.
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. 3
APPLICATION NOTE
DNA may be lost during sonication (see Figure A1 in the
Appendix). Additionally, DNA loss during sonication is not
uniform which necessitates a normalization step after
sonication and prior to end-repair. With the Watchmaker
solution, the entire amount of input DNA is available for
library preparation. This supports higher library complexity
at the end of ligation, irrespective of whether the postligation SPRI ratio is modified to optimize fragment size.
Library yields can be further improved by increasing the
amount of input DNA if feasible (Figure 3B). Final library
yields may, of course, be boosted by performing more library
amplification cycles — but this only addresses output mass
requirements, not library diversity.
0
200
300
400
NA12878 HQ MQ LQ
Mean Insert Size (bp)
100
Input
Watchmaker
Sonication
50 ng 100 ng 200 ng
5000
4000
0
100 200 300 400 500 700 1500 [bp]
1000
2000
3000
Input mass:
50 ng
100 ng
200 ng
Sample Intensity [Normalized FU]
A B
Figure 2. Consistent fragmentation across a range of input amounts. (A) Representative electropherograms for FFPE libraries produced from 50 – 200 ng of input DNA with
fragmentation for 3 min at 30°C and a 0.65X post-ligation SPRI ratio. (B) Mean insert sizes (determined from Illumina® sequencing data after adapter trimming) for targeted
sequencing libraries prepared from 50, 100, or 200 ng of FFPE DNA of variable quality or high-quality NA12878 genomic DNA, using the Watchmaker kit (purple) or a library
preparation workflow with sonication (gray). Sonication parameters were set to obtain a mean library insert size of 450 bp, but insert sizes became progressively shorter with
decreasing DNA quality. HQ: high quality, MQ: medium quality, LQ: low quality.
0
200
400
600
HQ MQ LQ
Post-ligation Yield (pM)
Input
FFPE
Cleanup 0.5X SPRI
50 ng 100 ng 200 ng
0
200
400
600
HQ MQ
5 ng
FFPE
Input
LQ
0.8x SPRI 0.65x SPRI 0.5x SPRI
Peak Length (bp)
Cleanup
Figure 3. Optimization of key parameters to control library quality. (A) Optimization of final, mean fragment size (determined using the Agilent® 4200 TapeStation system and
D5000 TapeStation assay) by adjusting the SPRI ratio used in the post-ligation cleanup. A ratio of 0.5X increased the peak fragment size for libraries produced from 5 ng of
low-quality FFPE DNA to that obtained from a high-quality FFPE sample using the standard 0.8X ratio. (B) Increasing the input into library construction compensates for lower
post-ligation yields (resulting from lower input DNA quality or a 0.5X post-ligation SPRI ratio). In this experiment, increasing the input to 200 ng restored the post-ligation yield for
a low-quality FFPE sample to the level obtained using 50 ng of a high-quality FFPE DNA. Post-ligation yields were determined using an in-house developed qPCR-based library
quantification assay. HQ: high quality, MQ: medium quality, LQ: low quality.
A B
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. 4
APPLICATION NOTE
RESULTS: IMPROVED LIBRARY QUALITY
AND SEQUENCING ECONOMY
An optimized Watchmaker workflow for variable quality
FFPE DNA samples generates consistent, high quality
libraries. Compared to protocols that rely on sonication,
the Watchmaker solution enables higher conversion rates
(Figure A2 in the Appendix) and library quality as a result of:
• not losing unique molecules during tube transfers;
• highly optimized chemistry, designed to make every
enzymatic step (fragmentation, A-tailing, and adapter
ligation) as efficient as possible; and
• highly efficient, ultra-high-fidelity amplification with the
Equinox Library Amplification Kit, which reduces length,
GC, and unique molecular identifier (UMI) bias.
Libraries prepared from FFPE samples are often subjected
to target enrichment using a hybridization capture approach
to achieve higher sensitivity and sequencing economy.
Pre-capture library quality directly impacts sequencing
data quality and enrichment metrics. In this experiment,
libraries prepared from FFPE samples of variable quality
with the Watchmaker solution returned comparable or
better sequencing performance compared to libraries
prepared from the same samples with a kit that employs
sonication — despite the fact that input masses for the
latter were quantified and normalized after sonication
to compensate for losses incurred during the shearing
process (Figure 5 and Table A1 in the Appendix).
In addition, the Watchmaker solution minimizes sequencing
artifacts that complicate NGS data interpretation and
impact sequencing economy:
• Improved control of FFPE library insert length enables
less read overlap, thereby increasing the amount of nonredundant data for downstream analysis (Figure 6A).
• Reduced soft clipping (masking of unaligned bases at
the 5'- and 3'-ends of reads; Figure 6B) minimizes data
loss and improves the confidence of variant calls close
to the ends of library fragments (Figure 6C).
• “Hairpin” artifacts (a type of chimeric read; Figure 6D)
are elevated in sequencing data generated from FFPE
DNA libraries.2,5 In this experiment, a significant level of
hairpin artifacts was observed in sonication libraries,
whereas they were virtually absent from libraries
prepared with the Watchmaker solution (Figure 6E).
Figure 4. Strategy for establishing and optimizing library prep for FFPE samples
of variable quality. Optimization may be performed with a relatively small set of
samples, provided that they represent the quality range that will be processed
routinely. Compile a set of library and sequencing QC metrics with suitable
acceptance criteria and use this to optimize the workflow. Adjust the post-ligation
SPRI ratio and other parameters systematically until acceptance criteria are
consistently met, and then qualify the workflow with a broader sample set. Quality
assessment of FFPE samples is recommended to select the appropriate sample set
for method development, but is not required for routine sample processing.
Workflow optimization
A general strategy for establishing an FFPE library prep
workflow with the Watchmaker DNA Library Prep Kit with
Fragmentation is illustrated in Figure 4. Initial assessment
of FFPE DNA quality enables the selection of a small,
diverse, and representative set of samples for workflow
optimization. A fixed input and fragmentation time is used to
determine the best post-ligation SPRI ratio. Fragmentation
time, input amount, and/or the number of PCR cycles may
then be adjusted to achieve the desired fragment size
distribution, yields, and sequencing performance metrics
during routine processing of future sample cohorts. Once
the workflow has been optimized and qualified, it should
not be necessary to perform quality assessment of input
DNA or adjust parameters from run to run or between
sample batches.
Determine FFPE DNA quality.
Select a small, diverse, and
representative set of samples
for method development.
Use the same fragmentation
parameters for all samples
(start with 3 min at 30°C)
Vary post-ligation cleanup
SPRI ratios (0.8X, 0.65X, and 0.5X)
to achieve optimal mean
fragment size and yield
Increase input to
amount routinely
available for
all samples or
increase PCR
amplification cycles Increase
fragmentation time
(max 10 min at 30°C)
Assess library yield and
fragment size with an
electrophoretic method
Desired yield and
fragment size achieved
Desired fragment size,
but insufficient yield
Desired yields, but
fragments are too long
Proceed to target capture
and/or sequencing to
further assess performance
Use fixed input mass for all
samples (across quality range)
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. 5
APPLICATION NOTE
CONCLUSIONS
DNA library preparation kits with enzymatic fragmentation
were first introduced almost a decade ago. Despite obvious
operational advantages and early demonstration of higher
library prep efficiency,5
adoption of these kits for FFPE
samples has been relatively slow, especially in higher
throughput settings. Key reasons for this trend include poor
control over insert size when working with large cohorts of
real-life samples, and the discovery of sequencing artifacts
attributable to fragmentation enzyme cocktails — which can
have significant impacts on variant calling in translational/
clinical research.4,6
The Watchmaker DNA Library Prep Kit with Fragmentation
was designed to address these issues. Novel enzyme
chemistry, a highly streamlined, single-tube protocol, mild
fragmentation, and flexible library prep parameters offer
the control, scalability, and reliable performance needed to
process FFPE samples of highly variable quality in targeted
sequencing pipelines. Hairpin and other sequencing artifacts
that may stochastically occur during library preparation are
also minimized with the Watchmaker chemistry.
Library prep parameters outlined here were specifically
optimized for FFPE samples and may likewise be tailored
for other applications, including whole-genome sequencing
(WGS).
0
100
300
600
NA12878 HQ MQ LQ
Mean Coverage (X) 400
500
200
Input
Watchmaker Sonication
50 ng 100 ng 200 ng
Figure 5. High coverage in targeted sequencing workflows. Libraries were prepared
from 50, 100, or 200 ng of variable quality FFPE DNA and a high-quality reference
sample. DNA mass into fragmentation and A-tailing (Watchmaker DNA Library
Prep Kit with Fragmentation) and end repair/A-tailing (sonication control) was kept
equivalent through the implementation of a normalization step after sonication.
This effectively masked the impact of any DNA template loss during sonication (see
Figure A1 in the Appendix for more information).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
DNA samples and QC. Genome in a Bottle NA12878 genomic
DNA was obtained from the Coriell Institute for Medical Research.
FFPE blocks were purchased from the BioChain Institute.
DNA was extracted using the ReliaPrep™ FFPE gDNA Miniprep
System (Promega Corporation). DNA was quantified using a QFX
fluorometer and Broad Range dsDNA Assay (Denovix DS-11 FX+).
FFPE DNA quality was assessed on the basis of (i) DNA Integrity
Number (DIN) obtained with a 4200 TapeStation system and
Genomic DNA ScreenTape assay (Agilent® Technologies) or (ii)
∆Cq scores determined using an in-house developed qPCRbased method similar to one described elsewhere.3
Library preparation. Libraries were constructed using the
Watchmaker DNA Library Prep Kit with Fragmentation (7K0019-
024 or 7K0019-096) or the KAPA HyperPrep Kit (Roche).
Watchmaker libraries were prepared according to the standard
protocol using xGen UDI-UMI Adapters (Integrated DNA
Technologies).7
Unless specified otherwise, (i) FFPE DNA was
fragmented for 3 min at 30°C and NA12878 DNA for 10 min at
30°C, (ii) the post-ligation cleanup was performed with a SPRI ratio
of 0.65X for FFPE libraries and 0.8X for NA12878 libraries, and
(iii) all libraries were amplified with the Equinox Library
Amplification Master Mix (2X) and P5/P7 Primer Mix (10X). The
number of amplification cycles (FFPE: 11 – 15; NA12878: 6 – 8)
was based on post-ligation quantification using an in-house
developed qPCR assay. KAPA HyperPrep (“sonication”) libraries
were prepared according to the manufacturer's instructions,
from DNA sheared with a Covaris® E220 ultrasonicator.8
Shearing
parameters were based on a desired DNA fragment size of 450 bp.
All final (pre-capture) libraries were quantified and fragment size
distributions confirmed using the 4200 TapeStation system and
D5000 ScreenTape assay (Agilent® Technologies).
Target enrichment. Library pools (6 x 187.5 ng for NA12878
or 9 x 187.5 ng for FFPE samples) were prepared for multiplexed
capture using the Twist Target Enrichment Standard Hybridization
v1 Protocol and a 37 kb custom panel (Twist Biosciences).9
Sequencing and data analysis. Paired-end (2 x 150 bp)
sequencing was performed on the Illumina® platform. Read
subsampling was performed with seqtk, adapter trimming with
cutadapt, and alignment (to the GRCh38/hg38 reference genome)
with bwa mem. Deduplication based on standard sequencing
indices was performed with Picard MarkDuplicates, using the
REMOVE_DUPLICATE flag set. For deduplication based on UMIs,
the fgbio consensus generation workflow with GroupReadsByUmi
and CallMolecularConsensusReads was used. Alignment
and hybrid selection (HS) metrics were generated using the
appropriate Picard tools. Sequencing artifacts were identified
using custom, in-house developed python scripts based on the
FADE software.4
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. 6
APPLICATION NOTE
0
5
15
35
NA12878 HQ MQ LQ
Read Overlaps (%)
20
25
30
10
Input
Watchmaker Sonication
50 ng 100 ng 200 ng
Figure 6. The Watchmaker DNA Library Prep Kit with Fragmentation minimizes
sequencing artifacts. (A) Longer insert sizes for FFPE libraries prepared with
the Watchmaker solution vs. a workflow with sonication resulted in fewer read
overlaps to better maximize sequencing economy. (B) Three- to seven-fold less
soft clipping was observed in Watchmaker FFPE libraries compared to sonicationprepared libraries. (C) IGV plot showing a portion of exon 3 of the MET gene (which
encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase and the product of the proto-oncogene MET)10
for libraries prepared from 200 ng of NA12878 genomic DNA or high-quality FFPE
DNA. Soft-clipped bases (highlighted in color in the read pileups) were much more
prevalent in FFPE libraries prepared with sonication. (D) One potential mechanism
for the formation of hairpin artifacts (adapted from Gregory et al.)4 (E) Up to 4.5% of
reads for sonication libraries were associated with hairpin artifacts in this particular
experiment; whereas levels were below 0.1% for corresponding Watchmaker
libraries. Libraries were prepared from 50, 100, or 200 ng of input DNA as described
in Materials and Methods. HQ: high quality, MQ: medium quality, LQ: low quality.
A
MET
Watchmaker
Watchmaker
Sonication
Sonication
FFPE
NA12878
C D
0
3.0
4.5
NA12878 HQ MQ LQ
Artifacts (%)
1.5
Input
Watchmaker Sonication
50 ng 100 ng 200 ng
Final sequencing read
P5
P5
A
T
5'
P7
P7
Softclip bases
Single-stranded
DNA annealing
End repair +
A-tailing
Adapter ligation
E
0
2
3
4
NA12878 HQ MQ LQ
Total Softclip Rate (%)
1
Input
Watchmaker Sonication
50 ng 100 ng 200 ng
B
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. 7
APPLICATION NOTE
APPENDIX: SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Figure A2. The Watchmaker DNA Library Prep Kit with Fragmentation enables
higher conversion rates. Libraries were prepared from 100 ng inputs of
FFPE samples of variable quality using the Watchmaker Library Prep Kit with
Fragmentation, KAPA HyperPrep Kit with sonication, or enzymatic fragmentationbased NEBNext® Ultra™ II FS DNA Library Prep Kit. Watchmaker and KAPA
HyperPrep libraries were prepared as described in Materials and Methods (with a
0.8X SPRI ratio for the post-ligation cleanup), and NEBNext libraries according to
per manufacturer’s recommendations.11 Library yields were measured using an
internally developed qPCR-based library quantification assay.
Figure A1. FFPE DNA loss during sonication. DNA loss during sonication was
independent of template quality and ranged from 9% to 44%, with a majority having
between 15% and 25% loss.
DNA quality was determined using an internally developed qPCR assay. A 54 or
297 bp amplicon (corresponding to a highly abundant and conserved sequence)
was amplified from FFPE DNA. For each sample, the Cq value for the 297 bp
amplicon was subtracted from the Cq value for the 54 bp amplicon to obtain the
ΔCq score, with larger scores corresponding to higher DNA quality. In this assay,
the ΔCq for high-quality genomic DNA (e.g., commercial preparations of NA12878
DNA) is typically around 3.25. FFPE samples with a ΔCq>1.5 are regarded as high
quality (HQ), whereas 1.5≥ΔCq≥0.0 for medium-quality (MQ) and ΔCq<0 for lowquality (LQ) FFPE samples.
DNA was quantified both pre- and post-sonication using a fluorometric method
as described in Materials and Methods. Mode fragment sizes were determined
using a 4200 TapeStation system and Genomic DNA ScreenTape assay (Agilent®
Technologies).
Data labels indicate the mode fragment size for each sample (in bp).
0
40
45
50
-3.00 -2.00
R2
=0.001
-1.00
192
201
205
204
191
186
175
185
188
0 2 1.00 .00 3.00
DNA Loss (%)
FFPE Quality Score (∆Cq)
35
20
25
30
15
10
5
LQ MQ HQ
LQ MQ HQ
0
300
600
450
750
900
Yield (nM)
150
-2.20 -1.48 0.45 1.06 1.45 1.80 2.08 2.12 2.42
∆Cq
Sonication
Watchmaker
NEB
Table A1. Select quality and sequencing metrics for samples used in this study
DNA Sample
Quality score PF reads aligned
(%)
Improper read
pairs (%)
Duplicate reads
(%)
Bases on + near
target (%)
∆Cq DIN WMG Sonication WMG Sonication WMG Sonication WMG Sonication
NA12878 3.25 8.9 100.00 100.00 0.09 0.02 10.3 6.8 80.2 78.7
HQ FFPE 1.58 3.4 99.99 99.98 0.22 0.27 38.0 28.0 77.6 75.9
MQ FFPE 0.06 2.8 99.99 99.98 0.21 0.29 23.1 26.7 79.4 75.8
LQ FFPE -1.64 2.5 99.98 99.98 0.39 0.35 22.0 27.2 76.2 75.8
Average N/A N/A 99.99 99.99 0.23 0.23 23.4 22.2 78.4 76.6
WMG: Watchmaker DNA Library Prep Kit with Fragmentation, Sonication: KAPA HyperPrep Kit with Covaris® shearing, HQ: high quality, MQ: medium quality, LQ: low quality.
∆Cq: quality score determined with qPCR-based method, DIN: DNA Integrity Number determined with TapeStation assay. PF: passed filter. For this analysis, data were randomly
subsampled to 211,000 read pairs per library.
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For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.
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APPLICATION NOTE
8
For Technical Support, please contact
support@watchmakergenomics.com.
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labinvest.2013.54.
2. Haile S., Corbett, R.D., Bilobram, S. et al. Sources of erroneous
sequences and artifact chimeric reads in next generation
sequencing of genomic DNA from formalin-fixed paraffinembedded samples Nucleic Acids Res. 47(2): e12 (2018).
doi: 10.1093/nar/gky1142.
3. Saelee S.L., Lovejoy A.F., Hinzmann B., et al. Quantitative
PCR–based method to assess cell-free DNA quality, adjust
input mass, and improve next-generation sequencing assay
performance. J. Mol. Diagn. 24(6): 566–575 (2022). doi:
10.1016/j.jmoldx.2022.02.005.
4. Gregory T., Ngankeu, A., Orwick, S., et al. Characterization
and mitigation of fragmentation enzyme-induced dual
stranded artifacts. NAR Genom. Bioinform. 2(4): lqaa070
(2020). doi: 10.1093/nargab/lqaa070.
5. Aigrain, L, Gu, Y., and Quail, M.A. Quantitation of next
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sequencing. BMC Genomics 17: 458 (2016). doi: 10.1186/
s12864-016-2757-4.
6. Tanaka, N., Takahara, A., Hagio, T., et al. Sequencing artifacts
derived from a library preparation method using enzymatic
fragmentation. PLoS ONE 15(1): e0227427 (2020). doi:
10.1371/journal.pone.0227427.
7. Watchmaker Genomics (2022). Watchmaker DNA Library
Prep Kit with Fragmentation User Guide, v2.0.1022.
8. Roche Diagnostics (2023). KAPA HyperPrep Kit Technical
Data Sheet, v10.23.
9. Twist Biosciences (2022). Twist Target Enrichment Standard
Hybridization v1 Protocol. Rev 4.0.
10. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/4233.
11. New England Biolabs (2022). NEBNext® Ultra™ II FS DNA
Library Prep Kit for Illumina® Instruction Manual, v3.0_9/22.
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