Acquisition of the NextSeq2000 Sequencing platform to Increase Next Generation Sequencing Throughput While Reducing Costs at Dartmouth

Title: Acquisition of the NextSeq2000 Sequencing platform to Increase Next Generation Sequencing Throughput While Reducing Costs at Dartmouth.

ABSTRACT To meet the increasing demand for next-generation sequencing (NGS) services and provide cost-effective solutions for genomics data generation, this proposal seeks $321,433 to purchase an Illumina NextSeq2000 instrument.

The instrument will be housed within the Genomics and Molecular Biology Shared Resource (GMBSR), a facility with over ten years? operational experience using Illumina NGS technologies and with the infrastructure and personnel necessary to support their operation.

The proposed instrument will double the existing sequencing capacity of the GMBSR while reducing the cost of NGS services by up to 50%, thus providing immediate and significant benefits to researchers at Dartmouth.

In support of this effort, a cohort of 10 Major and 4 Minor Users have been identified that represent the largest individual needs for NGS services at Dartmouth.

These users represent a mix of established and early-career investigators and reflect the dynamic and growing need for NGS capacity in the GMBSR.

Together, the Major and Minor users hold grants from the NIH (14) and DoD (1) totaling nearly $12 million in annual award dollars and are projected to comprise 85% of the instrument?s Accessible User Time (AUT) in the first year of operation. Additional usage is anticipated from many users with less substantial, but still significant, sequencing requirements.

The GMBSR is part of a vibrant ecosystem of Shared Resources at the NCI-designated Norris Cotton Cancer Center (NCCC), Geisel School of Medicine, and Dartmouth College that supports the generation, analysis, and interpretation of genomics datasets.

Together, these resources will ensure the successful deployment of the NextSeq2000 instrument and maximize its utility to the Dartmouth research community.

The Shared Resources enjoy significant financial and administrative support and receive strategic guidance from NCCC and Dartmouth leadership through the Shared Resource Advisory Committee.

Consistent with the not-for-profit model of the GMBSR, the NextSeq2000 instrument will be supported primarily through chargebacks to the users, with additional subsidies provided by the NCCC Core Grant and Center for Quantitative Biology COBRE award.

With the necessary infrastructure, expertise and institutional support in place, the NextSeq2000 instrument will have an immediate and lasting impact on research productivity and will provide capabilities consistent with Dartmouth?s status as a top-tier research institution.