REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: NGS LIBRARY ADAPTERS

With this request for information, HUS launches a market consultation to prepare a procurement concerning NGS Library Adapters for use in clinical diagnostic next-generation sequencing (NGS) workflows. The purpose of this request for information is to identify suppliers operating in this field, gather information on products and solutions available on the market, and support the preparation of a possible future procurement. The object of this request for information is NGS Library Adapters (also "Adapters") to be used in the diagnostic Illumina NGS pipelines of the HUS Laboratory of Genetics. The pipelines are used for preparing high-quality sample libraries for at least Illumina NovaSeq 6000 and NovaSeq X Plus sequencers. The laboratory is interested in information on both full-length adapters and stubby adapters for different purposes. Information on full-length adapters is requested for preparation of PCR-free WGS libraries from fresh sample material as well as WES libraries from both fresh and FFPE sample material. Information on stubby adapters is requested for preparation of WGS libraries from FFPE sample material using PCR amplification. Respondents may provide information concerning full-length adapters, stubby adapters, or both adapter types. The purpose of this request for information is to collect information on products and technologies currently available on the market. Any possible division of a future procurement into lots, product groups or other procurement structure will be determined separately during the preparation of the procurement. The procurement unit estimates that annual orders may be approximately: - 2,000 reactions with full-length adapters - 100 reactions with stubby adapters The quantities are estimates only and do not constitute a commitment to purchase any specific quantity. Full-length Adapters: - The Full-length Adapters are used to produce paired-end sequencing libraries using TA ligation and must contain 8-nt or 10-nt unique i5 and i7 dual indexes (UDI) for at least 384 different samples. - These Adapters must be incorporated before any denaturation or amplification steps resulting in an unamplified UDI barcoded library. - The Adapters must contain all barcode information needed so that final library amplification can be performed using universal Illumina-type primers. - It should also be possible to omit the amplification step, allowing the adapters to be used in both PCR-free and amplification workflows. - The adapters should be compatible with WES, WGS and RNAseq workflows currently used in the laboratory. Stubby Adapters: - The Stubby Adapters and indexing primers are used to produce paired-end sequencing libraries. - They should contain unique dual indexes (unique i5 and i7 indexes; UDI) for at least 384 different samples. - The Stubby Adapters must be ligated using TA ligation and be compatible with universal Illumina-type amplification primers currently used in the laboratory. - The Stubby Adapters and indexing primers are intended primarily for FFPE-derived samples. INTENDED USE The Adapters will be used in the HUS WES, WGS and RNAseq processes in clinical diagnostic contexts. The Laboratory will select the components and combine them with other reagents in order to create the final process used for generation of high-quality and high-sensitivity customized NGS libraries. In certain use cases, the adapters may be used in combination with non-CE-IVD products. Therefore, CE-IVD marking is not considered a mandatory requirement for the adapters themselves. The pipelines using the Adapters are intended for production of high-quality NGS libraries from DNA isolated from: - whole blood - bone marrow aspirates - freshly isolated tissue samples - frozen tissue samples - FFPE samples (optionally omitting DNA fragmentation) - cell-free DNA (cfDNA) (omitting input DNA fragmentation) The Adapters may also be used for library preparation from cDNA derived from the above-mentioned sample types.