The human gut contains trillions of microorganisms that impact digestion, immune functions, and overall health¹. Despite major breakthroughs, we’re only beginning to understand the full extent of the microbiome’s influence on health and disease. Advances in next-generation sequencing and spatial biology have opened new windows into this complex environment, yet many questions remain. This article highlights two recent studies exploring how diet influences microbial...

Like all molecular biology applications, next-generation sequencing (NGS) workflows require diligent quality control (QC) measures to ensure accurate and reproducible results. Proper QC begins at nucleic acid extraction and continues all the way through to data analysis. This article outlines the key QC steps in an NGS workflow, along with the commonly used tools and techniques.

Nucleic Acid Quality Control
Preparing for NGS starts with isolating the...