UMGC Research Town Hall with UMN Saint Paul Campus

Evolution of Genomics Technologies and the UMGC

Genomics is in transition—and so is the UMGC. Join the UMN Genomics Center on Tuesday, April 15, on the St. Paul campus for a research town hall to explore the latest advancements in genomics technologies and hear about the UMGC’s transformation.

What’s Changing? 

The expiration of much of the IP associated with the "first wave" of short-read next-gen sequencers, and the maturation of alternative platforms, has resulted in an explosion of new options for NGS, from companies such as Element Biosciences (the AVITI and AVITI24) and Ultima Genomics (the UG 100). These "second wave" short-read sequencers are less expensive, faster, and higher quality than the first wave instruments. The UMGC is a national leader in the adoption of second-wave devices.

In parallel to these upgrades in sequencing hardware, the UMGC completed a physical and organizational transformation designed to make us the best possible partner for help with library creation workflows (sequencing “software"). Changes included:

• Tiered service options allow researchers to balance speed and cost.
• A consolidated, high-efficiency off-campus lab supports scalable sequencing needs.
• The launch of the CoLab in CCRB provides training and walk-in access to our instruments, giving researchers options for greater speed, lower cost, and more flexibility with their projects.

Looking Ahead

In 2025, the UMGC is broadening its focus to better support agricultural, ecological, environmental, and veterinary fields, ensuring researchers on the Saint Paul campus have the genomic resources they need. Our acquisition of the Ultima UG 100, in particular, should enable the often very sequence-hungry applications of breeders and others who work on population-scale genomics.