Breakthrough Technology Represents Leap Forward in Next-Generation Sequencing

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 21 Feb 2025

Image: SBX technology is designed to make DNA sequencing quicker, more accurate, and highly flexible (Photo courtesy of Roche)

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has revolutionized our understanding of genetics, genomics, and cell biology, offering detailed insights that are essential for decoding complex diseases such as cancer, immune disorders, and neurodegenerative conditions, where the progression of the disease is influenced by hundreds or even thousands of genes. Now, a groundbreaking advancement in NGS technology is poised to take this understanding even further.

Roche (Basel, Switzerland) has introduced its proprietary sequencing by expansion (SBX) technology, marking a new era in NGS. SBX combines advanced chemistry with an innovative sensor module to deliver ultra-rapid, high-throughput sequencing that is both flexible and scalable, catering to a wide range of applications. This novel sequencing technique employs a sophisticated biochemical process to encode the sequence of a target nucleic acid molecule (either DNA or RNA) into a surrogate polymer known as an Xpandomer. These Xpandomers are significantly longer than the original molecule—fifty times longer—and encode the sequence information into high signal-to-noise reporters, providing clear signals with minimal background interference. This results in highly accurate single-molecule nanopore sequencing, utilizing a CMOS-based sensor module with parallel processing capabilities, offering unprecedented speed and flexibility compared to traditional sequencing technologies. Roche’s innovative NGS platform is designed to overcome the limitations of conventional methods, offering a combination of high accuracy, flexibility, and speed that makes it suitable for a broad array of genomic applications.

A major advantage of the SBX technology is its scalability. The chemistry integrates with an advanced CMOS sensor module that allows for ultra-rapid, real-time base calling and analysis. This system can process multiple samples simultaneously, creating a flexible, high-throughput architecture that enables cost-efficient sequencing for various project sizes, from small studies to large-scale projects involving thousands of samples. This scalability and versatility make SBX technology ideal for applications such as whole genome sequencing, whole exome sequencing, and RNA sequencing. Its potential extends beyond research labs, with promising applications in clinical settings where detailed genomic insights are crucial. SBX technology offers researchers the ability to meet evolving research demands efficiently, driving significant progress in our understanding of genetics and disease. This, in turn, holds the potential to improve healthcare outcomes and drive the adoption of more advanced sequencing technologies in clinical labs, further advancing the field of genomics.

“The science behind SBX technology represents a significant breakthrough that addresses the limitations of existing sequencing solutions,” states Matt Sause, CEO of Roche Diagnostics. “By integrating and enhancing the two technologies, Roche's SBX has created a differentiated approach, offering unparalleled speed, efficiency and flexibility. The speed and accuracy of SBX has the potential to revolutionize the use of sequencing in research and healthcare.”