Low-pass whole genome sequencing continues to gain momentum as an efficient and scalable approach for generating genomic data across large cohorts. As demand grows in areas such as population genetics, pharma research, and consumer genomics, there is an increasing need for solutions that deliver both cost-efficiency and reliable data quality.
To help meet these needs, Gencove and Ultima have introduced an integrated low-pass WGS offering designed to make genome-wide data more accessible for studies that require scale. The combined workflow brings together economical sequencing with analysis tools optimized for low-coverage data, enabling researchers to conduct robust genomic investigations across diverse applications.
A More Accessible Path to Large-Scale Genomic Data
The new offering supports a wide range of research programs by providing:
- Competitive pricing that helps organizations scale cost-effectively, including those transitioning from array-based genotyping.
- An end-to-end workflow, from sample submission through downstream data analysis, developed specifically for low-pass sequencing.
- Reliable accuracy, achieved through Gencove’s imputation algorithms and Ultima’s sequencing technology, ensuring dependable variant-level results even at low coverage.
Accuracy at Low Coverage
To evaluate performance, five Genome in a Bottle (GIAB) reference samples were sequenced on both Ultima and Illumina platforms. Sequencing data were downsampled to ~0.5× coverage and processed through Gencove’s imputation pipeline. The resulting imputed data showed >99.7% concordance with GIAB ground truth across all samples
