Eppendorf announces the release of the epMotion automation method for Illumina’s TruSeq Stranded Total RNA library preparation kit for next-generation sequencing as “Illumina Qualified.”

“Illumina Qualified” indicates that Illumina’s analysis of libraries prepared with this epMotion method has shown the libraries to perform comparably to those prepared manually.

Sample preparation for next-generation sequencing (NGS) involves extensive manual processing that can affect reproducibility. Eppendorf epMotion Liquid Handling systems are important tools for labs that want to significantly increase throughput and consistency of results. The automation of labor-intensive steps in NGS sample prep, like pipetting, mixing, temperature control and magnetic separation, brings about a standardized and streamlined process, with significantly reduced hands-on time and minimization of human errors.

“Eppendorf’s method for TruSeq Stranded Total RNA provides our customers with another great option for high throughput automation,” said Peter Fromen, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Illumina. “Eppendorf is one of the leading providers of automation to NGS users, and we are looking forward to additional methods from them in the near future.”

“The Stranded Total RNA sequencing library preparation using the epMotion minimizes our hands-on time while achieving overall high reproducibility. This streamlines and standardizes our sequencing workflow, thereby allowing for higher sequencing throughput. We are looking forward to collaborating with Eppendorf on additional automated library prep protocols,” said Dr. Wei Chen, Head of the Scientific Genomics Platform at Max Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine in Berlin, Germany.

“This method is tailored for 8, 16 or 24 samples of 100 to 1000 ng total RNA and gives sequencing ready libraries in 9 to 12 hours. While this is not much faster than the manual process, the hands-on time is significantly reduced as the automated process needs less than one hour preparation time in total,” said Dr. Reza Hashemi, Executive Director of Portfolio Management Liquid Handling at Eppendorf.

Additional automated methods for NGS library preparation from Illumina are currently in development.

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