First Impressions of the MiSeq i100 Series

For Illumina, the year 2024 marked the launch of the new MiSeq i100 Series. To evaluate their potential, Illumina invited scientists from various organizations to participate in an early access program. The feedback confirms that the MiSeq i100 indeed surpasses its predecessors.

Ease of Installation and Use

The new MiSeq i100 Series sequencers require no special preparation for installation. Yannick Marie, operational manager of the Genotyping/Sequencing Platform at the Paris Brain Institute, noted that his team unpacked and set up the device independently without technical support from Illumina:

“The installation process takes just an hour, after which you can start the first run.”

Christopher Noune, national laboratory operations manager at the Australian Genome Research Facility, added:

“It’s essentially a mini NovaSeq X. It’s easy to use and significantly more intuitive than previous-generation systems.”

Source of the photo www.illumina.com

Speed and Performance

One of MiSeq i100’s standout advantages is its high speed. Previously, the Paris Brain Institute needed about 20 days to provide FASTQ data to its clients. Now, according to Yannick Marie:

“We can start a run in the morning and have results by lunch. We can perform complete library preparation in a single day. It’s a long day, but it’s possible. This truly represents a new paradigm for us.”

Christopher Noune confirmed:

“It’s the fastest sequencer in its class. Thanks to the new index reading technology, we get demultiplexing data early in the process. Generating high-quality data daily has become a reality.”

Geneviève DonPierre, team leader of NGS Sequencing at the nonprofit Génome Québec, shared an interesting perspective. She believes the device bridges the gap between low- and high-throughput systems:

“The larger the instrument, the larger the output; but sometimes we have small projects that can’t be combined with larger ones on a high-capacity flow cell. With the new MiSeq i100, we can quickly provide results for smaller projects or for researchers needing rapid data to decide whether to continue their experiments.”

Source of the photo www.illumina.com

Eco-Friendliness and Reagent Flexibility

For the first time, reagents for the MiSeq i100 can be stored and transported at room temperature, eliminating the need for special freezers or dry ice.

Geneviève DonPierre from Génome Québec noted:

“I’ve been waiting for this for years. We no longer need to thaw reagents two days before a run—reagents are always ready to use, so we can plan and start a run within the next 15 minutes.”

“We no longer need to worry about extra freezer space,” added Christopher Noone. “This reduces our occupational safety requirements, as we don’t have to handle dry ice, and the packaging is also very lightweight.”

A Path to New Opportunities

Early access program participants see enormous potential for using the MiSeq i100 in various research areas. For instance, Geneviève DonPierre plans to apply it in metagenomics projects and CRISPR analyses, while Yannick Marie foresees broad applications in single-cell research. Christopher Noune believes the new sequencers will significantly enhance the role of plasmid sequencing in drug development.

Sources:

Early access users rave about Illumina’s new MiSeq i100 Series