Next-Generation Sequencing: The DNA Revolution Shaping Our Future

What before needed years and a lot of investment is now handled quickly and easily by labs everywhere. Next-generation sequencing is making a huge difference in science and is reshaping the future for forensic science, medicine, farming and exploring outer space. No matter if you’re just starting out or you have much experience, learning about NGS by 2025 is unavoidably important.

What is Next-Generation Sequencing?

With NGS, scientists are capable of reading through millions of DNA or RNA fragments all at once. Previously, Sanger sequencing was limited to one fragment at a time, whereas NGS is able to sequence complete genomes or just the areas required in only a single run and give us huge data volumes faster and much more affordably. In recent years, it has become much less expensive to sequence the whole genome, dropping by more than $100 million since 2001.

What Benefits Do You Get by Knowing About NGS?

NGS is no longer only for geneticists or biotechnologists to use. It has an effect in every area of society:

• Healthcare: NGS is helping doctors customize your treatment by using information from your genes. For oncology, sequencing helps find the specific mutations behind a patient’s cancer and gives doctors the information they need to choose better treatments.
• Infectious Disease: NGS allowed scientists to quickly find and monitor new viral mutations at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and similar recent outbreaks.
• Agriculture: NGS is helping Indian researchers make crops resistant to climate change and find plant infections quickly which supports our food supply.
• Forensics & Environmental Science: Because of NGS, crime scene investigation and biodiversity research now offer greater accuracy and work much faster than before.

How Is NGS Performed?

To start, DNA or RNA is taken from the sample, cut into smaller pieces and adapters are glued to both ends. After that, the fragments are transferred to a sequencing tool such as Illumina, Thermo Fisher or Oxford Nanopore and millions of competitive sequences are recorded using chemistry and optics at the same time. Data collected in this way is analyzed with AI help which allows bioinformatics scientists to spot changes in genes or markers for diseases and sometimes even identify new species.

How is NGS Helping Forensic Investigation In India?

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is helping forensic investigators in India get clearer details from even the most complicated crime scene samples. With NGS, multiple genetic markers such as STRs, SNPs, mitochondrial DNA and DNA from animals or microbes can all be assessed at once, giving a much larger and more detailed genetic result from only one analysis. Afforded by high-throughput technology, evidence analysis in India’s forensic cases is better because the samples often suffer from environmental threats or are run short. 

Forensic labs in India use NGS to achieve better identification of people, figure out a person’s ancestry, anticipate physical details and address cases involving twins or old, unsolved crimes that were previously unsolvable. Though the process of adopting NGS is still growing, due to reasons like expensive and specialized instruments and training, it is helping forensic investigations in India by being faster, more careful and affordable.

What Awaits NGS in 2025?

Advances in NGS are coming about extremely quickly. These are the key things you should know about this year:

• Artificial intelligence has become integrated in NGS, helping to correct errors automatically, point out disease risks and speed up drug finding. Applications of AI using huge genomic sequencing results are aiding in making more accurate diagnoses, with results seen in Alzheimer’s and cancer cases.
• Combining different types of sequencing is helpful for getting accurate and affordable outcomes, especially to spot the big changes known as large structural variants in cancer genetics. 
• With handheld devices like MiniION from Oxford Nanopore, it is possible to collect DNA data anywhere, including in the rainforest or far from civilization. 
• Thanks to systems such as Roche’s SBX, analysis takes less time and can now be done more easily in any setting, whether it’s for research or clinical work.

What Makes NGS Important for Those Interested in and Working in Genomics?

NGS is helping students discover exciting new opportunities in genomics, data science, healthcare, forensic science, agriculture and biotechnology. There is great demand for NGS expertise and the Indian genomics market is likely to grow by over 18% each year until 2030. Professionals who know how to use NGS can be ahead of the curve by introducing new medicines, improving crops or advancing personalized medicine.

Next-Generation Sequencing has moved from futuristic ideas to become a reality today that makes possible many advances touching every area of our lives. Thanks to NGS, science is advancing in rare disease diagnosis, infectious disease treatment and addressing food security. For anyone motivated by forensic science, healthcare or technology, now is an excellent moment to get involved with NGS. The future is being sequenced, make sure you aren’t left behind.