Agilent adds new sequencing functionality to SureSelect

Agilent Technologies has expanded the capabilities of its SureSelect Target Enrichment System by adding support for the 454 Life Sciences sequencing platform.

This comes in addition to its compatibility with Illumina's genome analyser and HiSeq platforms and Life Technologies' SOLiD sequencers, meaning that SureSelect now supports all three major next-gen sequencing platforms.

SureSelect is designed to allow researchers to sequence genomic regions of interest rather than entire genomes, providing greater cost-effectiveness in operations.

The kits have been cited in 25 industry publications this year and can be used to enrich target sizes ranging from less than 200 Kb to greater than 50 Mb in a single tube.

Dr Fred Ernani, Agilent's SureSelect platform business manager, said: "We will continue to aggressively develop new SureSelect products to help customers address a wider range of important scientific challenges."

Earlier this month, the company announced that it is developing an improved version of its Bravo automated liquid handling platform in partnership with BioSystem Development.