About Us
FAQs
Here are the answers to your commonly asked “what...?” and “can we...?” queries. Don’t see the question you are looking for? Ask it here.
Getting Started
Visit our website to register as a Psomagen customer. You’ll be asked to agree to our terms and conditions, and to create a unique customer ID.
An account is required prior to processing your first samples.
To book a consultation, reach out on our Contact Us page. You’ll be connected with the appropriate salesperson for your region and technology of interest.
Sample Preparation and Shipping
Get in touch with your sales representative at inquiry@psomagen.com or visit our order site to request a consultation and start the process.
Before your samples are shipped, you will need to complete the next-generation sequencing (NGS) order form and return it to your sales contact. Your sales representative will provide you with a copy of this form.
Psomagen provides prepaid shipping labels for orders valued at $5,000 or higher.
If your order falls below $5,000, you will be responsible for shipping costs, billed to your institution’s shipping account.
Yes, our labs accept samples at ambient temperature, blue/wet ice, and dry ice, as appropriate to sample type.
Your samples will be stored for one month after your project’s completion.
We may be able to store samples for longer than one month on a case-by-case basis. Contact your sales representative for additional information.
Samples can be returned or destroyed upon completion of your project. Please ensure you discuss these terms with your representative during project quoting and planning.
Sample Extraction
Yes. Our team can extract DNA from blood collected and stored in Becton Dickinson (BD) EDTA tubes. However, any samples collected should arrive at a Psomagen lab within three days.
For longer-term storage, we recommend storing your samples in Zymo Research DNA/RNA Shield Blood Collection Tubes or QIAgen PAXgene Blood DNA tubes to keep DNA intact.
Psomagen can extract genomic DNA from fresh or frozen cells.
Yes. There are options to process low-quality DNA and RNA for various sequencing applications.
Contact your sales representative to find out additional information.
Yes. We process samples received as nucleic acid or inactivated virus.
Extracted nucleic acids (RNA, cDNA, DNA) are components of inactivated virus and do not present a biosafety risk.
Need assistance? Contact your sales representative for information about sending samples for extraction by our team.
No.
Psomagen provides DNA and RNA extraction from a variety of sample types including fresh/frozen cells or tissue, blood, FFPE tissue, and many more. Please contact your sales representative to learn more.
Library Preparation and Sequencing
We recommend submitting pooled libraries at a final concentration of 5nM of at least a volume of 35 μl in EB, water, or Tris-HCl.
This volume allows for our evaluation of sample quality.
We do not recommend this approach as we often see clustering bias when different types of libraries are run in the same lane. Uniformity cannot be guaranteed when pooling different library types.
If you’d like to discuss pooling options, contact your sales representative.
The following kits are CLIA-validated for whole-genome sequencing at Psomagen: Illumina® TruSeq® PCR-free Kit and Illumina® TruSeq® Nano Kit
Our QC methods vary depending on the library preparation process. For example, our team uses the Agilent® 4200 TapeStation® System, an automated electrophoresis instrument, for library quantitation by size and/or real-time PCR quantitation.
Our project management team will happily assist you with the progress of your order.
You will receive a QC report from our labs, which you can use to decide whether you want to move forward with samples that failed QC, replace them with another sample, or simply not run those samples. We offer one free sample replacement in the event of failed QC.
Bioinformatics and Data Delivery
We can deliver your data via downloadable FTP links, cloud/server (AWS, globus, DNANexus, etc.), or an external hard drive.
If the reference sequence and gene annotation (gtf/gff3) files are provided, we can provide bioinformatics services for any species.
Our team provides transcript-level profiling, which identifies the expression of all isoforms for each gene.
Certifications & Data Security
Yes! Psomagen labs were first CAP accredited in 2017. We retain this accreditation by completing a biannual inspection and compliance evaluation.
Yes! Psomagen labs obtained CLIA certification for the first time in 2013. We conduct routine proficiency testing and validation to ensure we abide by CLIA regulations for human clinical testing.
Psomagen holds certificates indicating our compliance with ISO9001:2015 (Sanger sequencing, NGS, and bioinformatic services) and ISO27001:2013 (genome sequencing and clinical diagnostics).
Yes, we are HIPAA compliant.
Psomagen offers secure data storage and protection in accordance with CLIA/CAP regulations and standards.
Each customer is the sole owner of their data generated by Psomagen.
Genomics
We offer several options, including Sanger sequencing, WGS, WES, targeted sequencing, long-read, and other application-specific approaches. The correct approach for you will depend on your regions of study, your research question, and your desired assembly.
You can schedule a consultation with our team to go over the specifics of your project and select a fitting approach
Proteomics
Psomagen requests sufficient samples volume to allow repeat testing and can return any unused material at the end of the project. Volumes will vary based on the panel type.
No, Olink immunoassays are not compatible with FFPE tissue.
Psomagen recommends using samples at their extracted level without depletion. There are exceptions for stimulated samples and over-expression, so please connect with our technical team before submitting samples.
Blood-derived samples are visually examined for hemolysis and those determined to be at-risk are reported to our customers for a go or no-go decision.
The detection of the LoD varies by assay and by panel, and is dictated by Olink's NPX software.
For experiments that contain stimulated samples or over-expressed protein targets, we recommend a discussion with Psomagen’s technical team before proceeding. Please submit a request to inquiry@psomagen.com or complete our Contact Us form, and you’ll be directed to the appropriate person to learn more.
Psomagen has noted that many targets in Olink assays are detectable at the pg/mL level.
Olink’s Reveal and Explore HT panels are designed for discovery-scale biomarker identification.
All Olink panels have been validated with both plasma and serum. Olink immunoassays work beautifully in a vast range of sample types. Please submit a request to inquiry@psomagen.com or complete our Contact Us form, and you’ll be directed to the appropriate person to learn more.
Psomagen runs all the controls that are included with each Olink panel. Each panel contains multiple plate and/or sample controls that are used to address technical variation.
Psomagen requires that all samples be randomized for any Olink experiment. Recommended randomization approaches vary across experimental parameters. Please submit a request to inquiry@psomagen.com or complete our Contact Us form, and you’ll be directed to the appropriate person to learn more.
The number of samples per panel varies based on the specific Olink panel. Please submit a request to inquiry@psomagen.com or complete our Contact Us form, and you’ll be directed to the appropriate person to learn more.
Olink does not require technical replicates.
At a high level, Psomagen utilizes bridging/reference samples for batch correction. Please contact our technical team for experimental design support.
Olink has a 7-Log dynamic range.
Psomagen’s standard deliverable is the extended NPX file containing both raw and normalized data.
Advanced Analysis for Olink projects is available. Please submit a request to inquiry@psomagen.com or complete our Contact Us form, and you’ll be directed to the appropriate person.
Psomagen does not rerun individual samples. That said, if there is a reagent or consumable failure, we do repeat the assay.
Single-Cell Sequencing
Psomagen offers 10x Genomics, Parse Biosciences, and BioSkryb assays. The 10x Genomics assays we offer are:
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3′ Gene Expression
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5′ Gene Expression
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Flex (Fixed RNA Profiling; v2 / APEX chemistry)
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Single Cell ATAC
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Single Cell Multiome (ATAC + Gene Expression)
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Single Cell Epi-ATAC
Cell capture ranges from 500-20,000+ cells depending on the application, chip, recovery rate, and assay. Recovery is typically ~50%.
Psomagen offers the NovaSeq X Plus and the UG100.
The 3' Gene Expression assay captures the 3' end of polyadenylated mRNA transcripts, enabling digital gene expression quantification per cell.
Sequencing reads per cell will vary depending on the assay type and the experimental goals but often range between 20,000-50,000 reads per cell.
The 5' Gene Expression assay captures the 5' end of transcripts, enabling:
- TCR/BCR immune repertoire sequencing
- Full-length V(D)J analysis
- CRISPR guide detection
Flex is a probe-based RNA profiling assay that works with fixed cells or nuclei, useful for difficult, archived, or biosafety-sensitive samples. It is especially valuable for longitudinal studies and allows on-chip multiplexing to decrease costs.
Single Cell ATAC profiles chromatin accessibility across individual nuclei to identify regulatory regions, open chromatin, and epigenetic states.
Epi-ATAC builds upon ATAC to provide enhanced epigenomic profiling, enabling more comprehensive chromatin state resolution and improved signal-to-noise.
With fresh cells or those before cryopreservation or fixation, the viability should exceed 85%.
Psomagen accepts fresh or cryopreserved cells, fixed nuclei, frozen tissue, and FFPE tissue.
Spatial Biology
Psomagen requires an assessment of both the RNA quality and the tissue morphology (H&E, DAPI).
Psomagen can utilize FFPE, fixed frozen, or fresh frozen samples depending on the platform/assay.
Psomagen offers Xenium, Visium HD, Visium 3' HD, CosMx, and OmicInsight.
Psomagen has multiple histology partners and can work with both frozen, fixed, and FFPE tissues or blocks.
If you know the biological pathways on which you want to focus, Xenium’s mid-plex panels are an excellent choice.
The Xenium platform offers protein panels that can be run on the same exact slide as RNA panels that are below 500 transcripts.
Psomagen recommends combining multiple samples on the same slide when they can fit appropriately on the slide area for that specific platform.
Epigenomics
Yes, we can work with low-input samples for some epigenetics services. Each epigenetics workflow has a different minimum sample need; please reach out to our team for the specifications of your unique experiment.
We also work with rare cell populations, and can determine if it’s possible to run your sample in our labs during our consultation. Please provide DNA yield or cell count to determine the best library type for your input amount.
What Our Customers Think
We have used Psomagen’s whole exome next-generation sequencing service using multiple tissues derived from various mouse strains. The service has been very effective and timely, and we have achieved high-quality and reproducible results. The QC steps are easy to follow and the price is reasonable. Overall the service is great value for money.
Fengyi Wan, Ph.D.
Johns Hopkins University
Psomagen's staff is great to work with. Their after-care service is very helpful. They make sure to answer all questions and explain thoroughly. They are accessible via email or Zoom. We are still mostly in the extraction phase but the data we have sequenced so far gives great results!
Kenneth Park
PharmD, Cipherome
The main things I love about Psomagen are the consistently long reads (usually 1000 bp of high-quality sequence) for Sanger sequencing. They also have a great online system for ordering and ordering additional reactions, and they are generous with re-trials for the occasional failed sample. The customer service is also very responsive. They are still my preferred sequencing provider.
Gill Dean, Ph.D.
UBC
