With its unprecedented throughput, scalability,
and speed, next-generation sequencing (NGS)
enables researchers to study biological systems
at a level never before possible. In 2007, a single
sequencing run could produce a maximum of
around one gigabase (Gb) of data. By 2011, that
rate has nearly reached a terabase (Tb) of data in
a single sequencing run (nearly a 1000x increase
in four years). With the ability to rapidly generate
large volumes of sequencing data, NGS enables researchers
to move quickly from an idea to full data
sets in a matter of hours or days. Researchers can
now sequence more than five human genomes in
a single run, producing data in roughly one week,
for a reagent cost of less than $5,000 per genome
(up-to-date in 2014). By comparison, the first human
genome required approximately ten years to
sequence using Sanger technology and an additional
three years to finish the analysis.