A conversation with Dr. MeiYeh Jade Lu
For Dr. MeiYeh Jade Lu, NGS Core manager at Academia Sinica, running a high-throughput genomics core isn’t just about staying on top of demand—it’s about delivering the highest data quality for researchers tackling some of biology’s most complex questions.
The Academia Sinica high-throughput genomics core has been operational for over 15 years, supporting cancer research, developmental biology, and genomics projects across a wide range of species. And through it all, one thing hasn’t changed: data quality always comes first.
Why AVITI24™ felt like the right fit
For a facility built on delivering precision to its collaborators, the combination of innovative Avidite Base Chemistry™ and performance metrics made AVITI24 a natural fit when they were selecting a new platform.
“We were looking for a sequencing platform that delivers high accuracy and low background noise without sacrificing efficiency,” Dr. Lu explained. “AVITI24 stood out for its avidite sequencing chemistry, which promised low duplication rates, uniform barcode representation, and critically, a low index hopping rate—all of which are essential for multiplexed studies and high-confidence data.”
Reliable, consistent performance
When it comes to sequencing, consistency and quality are critical for long-term research projects. Uniformity doesn’t just improve data quality but also translates to better cost efficiency. As such, the platform has integrated smoothly into their workflows, with minimal hands-on time and reliable run-to-run consistency.
“AVITI24 has consistently delivered excellent sequencing performance,” she shared. “We’ve been especially impressed by its low index hopping, which helps reduce cross-contamination in multiplexed runs, and the even distribution of reads across barcodes among the same application library type, even with high-plex libraries.”
Finding subtle signals through clean multiplexing
In a recent microbial genomics project, the team needed to multiplex a large number of samples while keeping the per-sample resolution high. Typically, they’d be concerned about clean barcode separation or noise coming into play. However, the AVITI24 has changed how their team approaches these types of studies.
“AVITI24’s low index hopping and clean barcode separation were key to ensuring the integrity of each dataset,” Dr. Lu explained. “This allowed us to detect polymorphisms and/or mutations of low frequencies in the microbial populations, also the 4-color chemistry enables high confident mutation calling that might have otherwise been masked by noise.”
Getting ready for spatial and single cell insights
While the lab currently uses AVITI24 for sequencing projects, Dr. Lu is already planning for what’s next. As they continue to expand their capabilities in larger spatial biology and multiomics studies, the team is exploring how Teton™ CytoProfiling can reveal deeper contextual insights into biology—at a scale and cost-efficiency that will make it accessible to more users at their institution.
“Spatial and single cell multiomics allow us to move beyond bulk profiles and into cellular context and interaction,” she said. “With these tools, we can understand not just which genes are expressed, but where and in what cellular neighborhoods.”
From cancer-immune dynamics to developmental biology to tissue architecture, they’re excited about new ways to integrate cytoprofiling with spatial transcriptomics for a more holistic systems view.
A partnership that goes beyond support
As early adopters of the AVITI24, Dr. Lu appreciates that the Element team has played a key role in helping the lab succeed with transparency and responsiveness.
“Working with Element has been collaborative, proactive, and supportive,” they said. “Their team truly listens, provides rapid technical guidance, and has helped us optimize our applications with confidence. It feels more like a partnership than just a vendor relationship.”
Dr. Lu’s advice for other core labs
As at high-throughput genomics core facility, Dr. Lu, always prioritizes systems that provides both high-quality data and consistent performance to ensure performance across long-term research projects, including data consistency, integration, and batch analysis.
“If you're looking for a short-read platform that combines accuracy, barcode consistency, and low index hopping, AVIT24 is definitely worth exploring. It brings high performance to both standard and advanced applications, and the support team at Element makes onboarding easy.”
And when it comes to future expansion?
“AVITI24 takes that foundation even further, offering the throughput needed for multi-modal spatial and single cell studies with high consistency.”
Download our infographic to learn more about what’s possible with AVITI24, one integrated platform for 5D multiomics and NGS.