How to shorten data-processing time and increase efficiency for DNA sequencing?

Catching up with disease diagnoses worldwide post covid-19 is driving the demand for high-quality diagnostics and treatment. DNA sequencers are increasingly identifying bacteria, viruses, and genetic diseases. Pressures are however increasing on life scientists, who need results quickly for rapid treatment.

Next-generation sequencing is speeding up tissue scanning with highly parallel sequencing and higher resolution, shorter nucleotide length readings, and lower costs. As a result, costs are dropping below $1,000 per genome and DNA analysis is becoming much more widely applicable. Prodrive Technologies is helping equipment builders in the industry to develop these platforms for genome sequencing by providing mechatronic solutions for nanopositioning, high-speed cameras, and data processing hardware.

Bringing DNA sequencing to the next level
The copies of original nucleotides from a thermocycler are given four different fluorescent dye frequencies on a DNA microarray (biochip). A precision motion stage combined with a TDI camera is then used to image the samples at very high resolution.

This Sonic TDI camera is a breakthrough development that redefines TDI imaging. It uses a proprietary sensor with 8K or 16K pixels resolution that captures at a line rate of up to 1MHz. The 256 TDI stages guarantee an excellent sensitivity to maintain 12 bits of image quality in combination with high sampling speeds.

The modular camera design allows maximum flexibility for customization. Prodrive Technologies also offers the hardware to extract and process the data from the camera at this high speed.

Complete subsystems effectively plug together

• Optical systems
  The optical system forms the engine/basis of any sequence system. Leveraging our engineering expertise and cross-domain knowledge, we can develop a stiff, isolated, and thermally stable frame for the TDI camera. This includes integrating the optical path (optics) and accurate positioning of the sample by incorporating a custom motion stage using our off-the-shelf motion components.
  
  This allows for the manufacturing of the sequence system that is close to turnkey.
  
  
• Motion components
  The camera’s motion control system uses high-speed motors and drives to move samples and sensors quickly enough to keep up with the sequencing process. The system must also have high repeatability to ensure that the sequencing data is consistent.
  
  A high-quality motion controller controls up to 20 axes with a 20 kHz EtherCAT update rate, ensuring the movement of objects and cameras is smooth, quick, and precise
  
  A servo drive offers 24-bit dynamic current resolution with 200-kHz PWM switching to accurately and repeatedly position the sample/sensor.
  
  Ironless linear motors run at up to 7 m/s in vacuum conditions, moving sample and sensor smoothly to avoid introducing artifacts into the sequencing data.
  
  
• Rack servers
  Using the latest-generation, dual-socket servers as the main building blocks, the computing power in these rack servers is matched to the needs of single or multiple sequencing machines. Up to six GPUs are fitted in each server to massively parallelize image processing, sequencing, and pattern matching.
  
  Multigigabit Ethernet and Infiniband technologies provide the bandwidth necessary for efficient data distribution, while NVMe storage resolves bottlenecks related to data writing speed.

Paving the way with a single supplier
With over three decades of experience in multiple markets, our extensive portfolio of products, expertise in customization and system integration, and manufacturing capabilities give us total control of our operations and guarantee 10+ year life cycles of products. Every day we are creating reliable, flexible, and complete solutions that make the world work.

Please book a meeting with us to discuss your needs: Contact@prodrive-technologies.com