Introducing DRAGEN somatic for IDT custom panels

Custom panels offer unmatched flexibility for cancer research labs, but too often, bioinformatics becomes the bottleneck. Today, we are excited to announce the launch of DRAGEN somatic for IDT custom panels, the first bioinformatic solution co-verified between Illumina and Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) and the start of a new partnership focused on simplifying and scaling secondary analysis for NGS datasets. 

This release marks an important milestone: A DRAGEN app designed in close collaboration with IDT, designed from the ground up to meet the needs of customers running IDT xGen™ custom oncology research panels. While other approaches require manual, fragmented workflows with limited support, this solution offers a fully pre-validated, push-button somatic pipeline optimized for IDT panel design and real-world solid tumor samples.

A new partnership focused on unified oncology workflows

The following launch represents the beginning of a deeper technical partnership between Illumina and IDT’s xGen portfolio, delivering end to end oncology research workflows for a simplified user experience.

As a co-verified application, DRAGEN somatic for IDT custom panels was built to align with the xGen cfDNA and FFPE library prep, panel design, and bioinformatics requirements from day one. Integrating the same award-winning algorithms of DRAGEN v4.5, DRAGEN somatic for IDT custom panels fits naturally into oncology customers’ panel‑based assays while maintaining the performance, consistency, and scalability that DRAGEN is known for. 

This collaboration lays the foundation for continued innovation across custom panels, expanded assay support, and increasingly automated end-to-end oncology workflows while reinforcing Illumina’s commitment to an open platform that enables customers to flexibly meet diverse oncology research needs.

Secondary analysis custom‑built for IDT oncology research panels

DRAGEN somatic for IDT custom panels packages Illumina’s award‑winning DRAGEN algorithms into a pre‑verified application designed specifically for IDT xGen custom hybridization panels—removing the need for labs to build, tune, and maintain custom pipelines.

The application supports:

• Solid samples including low quality FFPE samples
• Somatic SNV and indel calling optimized for DNA custom panels
• Tumor mutation burden (TMB) estimation for solid tumor use cases
• Tumor‑only and tumor‑normal analysis within a single app
• UMI and non‑UMI workflows, selectable with a simple toggle
• Standard outputs including hard‑filtered VCFs, aligned BAMs, and QC metrics 

All capabilities are delivered through a single, consistent workflow which allows labs to standardize their secondary analysis across assays without sacrificing flexibility.

Designed for challenging oncology samples, including FFPE

IDT custom panels are often applied to difficult sample types – the DRAGEN somatic for IDT custom panels app was built with solid samples quality variability in mind.

DRAGEN somatic for IDT custom panels incorporates systematic noise profiling at base‑pair resolution to reduce false positives from low‑quality input data. For FFPE samples, a dedicated low‑quality FFPE mode applies tailored filters to improve specificity and robustness which are critical for maintaining confidence in somatic calls across real‑world oncology cohorts. 

Tested and verified for IDT custom oncology research panels

Accuracy is a central focus in all Illumina innovations, and DRAGEN somatic for IDT custom panels is no different.  Leveraging DRAGEN somatic capabilities, tuned for IDT’s chemistry and verified by both Illumina and IDT Research & Development, the application was internally tested and performance‑validated on real‑world oncology samples, including challenging FFPE inputs, using DRAGEN somatic algorithms optimized for custom panel data. Verification activities focused on consistent and reliable detection of somatic SNVs and indels, with an emphasis on maintaining specificity in the presence of technical noise and variable sample quality. 

Key accuracy elements behind DRAGEN somatic for IDT include:

• Base‑pair–level noise modeling - to systematically reduce false positives from low‑quality input data
• A dedicated low‑quality FFPE mode - designed to improve specificity for FFPE samples without requiring manual pipeline tuning
• Pre‑verification of the workflow - for IDT xGen™ custom hybridization panels and supported IDT xGen cfDNA and FFPE library preparation kit 

By delivering a pre‑verified, jointly supported pipeline, the following solution helps labs standardize their secondary analysis for custom panels with confidence, maintaining the analytical rigor required for oncology research and translational applications. 

Flexible access across Illumina’s cloud ecosystem

To support a wide range of lab workflows, DRAGEN somatic for IDT app can be accessed through three different access points across the Illumina ecosystem, all supporting tumor‑only analysis:

• BaseSpace™ Run Planner, with automatic DRAGEN launch for new sequencing runs
• BaseSpace Sequence Hub (BSSH) applications for re‑analysis or paired tumor‑normal workflows
• Illumina Connected Analytics (ICA) for advanced users requiring API access, batch processing, or deep automation

The following flexibility enables labs to adopt the solution based on their institutional need, with Illumina meeting users where their data is.

Integrated interpretation with Illumina Connected Insights

As a part of the broader Illumina informatics ecosystem, users can elect for DRAGEN somatic for IDT to flow directly into Illumina Connected Insights for variant interpretation and research reporting. The integration of variant call files into Connected Insights enables users to access a seamless path from variant calling to biological insight, reducing manual handoffs and helping teams spend more time on interpretation instead of pipeline management. 

Learn more

The following launch marks the beginning of a new Illumina–IDT partnership and a broader Illumina strategy to focused on meet oncology customers where their data is, delivering purpose‑built, production‑ready bioinformatics for modern oncology panels.

To learn more about how DRAGEN can simplify somatic analysis for IDT custom oncology research panels, check out the resources below:

• Watch the demo video: See DRAGEN somatic for IDT custom panels in action, including push‑button analysis, flexible entry points across Illumina platforms, and example outputs for tumor‑only and tumor‑normal workflows.
• Read the technical note: Dive deeper into the bioinformatics design, supported workflows, and assay considerations behind DRAGEN somatic for IDT oncology research panels.

To get started today, access the customer guide as an Illumina user or send you interest to DRAGENforIDT@illumina.com, after which will be contacted for support.

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. 

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