The Future of Genomics Data Quality

In clinical WGS, parallel control samples have always been an expensive compromise—they consume resources but add little clarity about how individual samples are performing. At best, they tell you that the sequencer ran, not whether each patient sample met your quality bar. By adopting Sequins spike-in controls, we can measure library prep, sequencing, and variant calling performance within each sample itself. This elevates QC from a perfunctory check into a robust, sample-specific assurance of sensitivity and accuracy.

Sequins was straightforward to implement in the wet lab and, importantly, allowed us to obtain absolute quantification — something we couldn't achieve when only measuring relative abundances. We chose Sequins after seeing a colleague's successful work, and the Metagenomics Core Control Set delivered exactly what we needed.

Sequins gave us the confidence to accurately quantify viruses in wastewater samples by distinguishing true biological signals from sequencing biases. Their ease of use and robust design made them an invaluable tool for improving accuracy and reliability in our metagenomics research.