Optimizing Speed and Accuracy of NGS Solutions for Oncology Research

Konstantin Fiedler, vice president and general manager at Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), brings decades of global healthcare experience to advancing precision medicine, diagnostics, proteomics, and more. At IDT, he leads the company’s Gene Reading business, shaping strategy and innovation for complete next-generation sequencing (NGS) solutions.

Why are clinical research labs under pressure to adopt faster NGS solutions, and what risks does this pose?

Clinical research labs need fast, reliable sequencing to support critical decisions. NGS is essential for cancer research, but hastily adopting fast and new technology over quality solutions can result in poor reproducibility, missed variants, and higher failure rates. In oncology research, where decisions depend on precise data, unreliable sequencing results can cause delays, rework, and compromised insights.

How does Integrated DNA Technologies help labs balance speed with high-confidence results?

Currently, labs are required to balance speed with precision. Integrated DNA Technologies collaborates with customers at the onset of a project, helping to design assays and optimizing their NGS workflows. These partnerships bolster data quality, turnaround times, and have the potential to deliver critical insights to labs.

IDT offers Archer™ NGS Assays like VARIANTPlex™ and FUSIONPlex™ that are highly customizable to help labs pinpoint single nucleotide variants (SNVs), novel fusions, and key genomic signatures like homologous recombination deficiency (HRD). This customization lets labs optimize sequencing resources through careful selection of targets for each panel.

Why is customization critical for labs working with cancer samples?

Samples are often scarce and degraded, complicating NGS workflows. Customized solutions allow labs to extract maximum value from every sample, regardless of its condition. IDT understands that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach and consistently works with labs to design solutions to meet their specific requirements. With the Archer™ Comprehensive Genomic Profiling (CGP) solution, labs can adjust panels without overhauling entire workflows.

How do partnerships with genomics providers that offer complete NGS solutions enhance the reliability of cancer research insights?

Strong cancer research insights depend on both high-quality sequencing and accurate data interpretation. By partnering with genomics providers, IDT delivers end-to-end NGS solutions that streamline workflows and enhance reliability.

For example, IDT’s 2024 alliance with Molecular Health integrates variant annotation and calling insights from secondary analysis platforms with Molecular Health’s variant interpretation platform. This tertiary analysis software automates variant classification, reducing manual interpretation time and improving reporting confidence. With access to an extensive, regularly updated knowledge base, labs can contextualize both known and novel variants, leading to faster, more informed insights.

What’s next for NGS in cancer research, and how is IDT helping labs shape the future?

As sequencing becomes more complex, clinical research labs need tools that improve efficiency and maintain data quality. IDT meets this demand with innovations that enhance every step of the workflow. Our NGS portfolio is comprised of standalone library preparation, target enrichment and normalization chemistries (IDT’s xGen™ portfolio) as well as connected NGS solutions with secondary analysis software support (our Archer™ portfolio).

These scalable solutions bring advanced sequencing to labs of all sizes without costly infrastructure upgrades, while customizable assays and automation-friendly protocols simplify adoption, empowering confident insights.

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