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Sanger sequencing has been the gold standard for DNA sequencing for nearly 50 years and understanding how it works is fundamental to modern molecular biology. This post explains the components of the sequencing reaction, how ddNTPs terminate DNA synthesis, and how fluorescent dyes and capillary electrophoresis are used to read the sequence.

NGS (Next Generation Sequencing) can sequence a whole human genome in a single day, a process that took over 30 years with the Human Genome Project. This animation explains how NGS works step-by-step, including library preparation, cluster generation, sequencing by synthesis, and how billions of DNA strands are sequenced simultaneously. You'll also learn how NGS compares to Sanger sequencing, how sequencing reads are filtered and mapped to a reference genome, and the key appl

qPCR and PCR are fundamental techniques in molecular biology, used in everything from disease diagnosis to medical research. This animation explains how PCR uses DNA, primers, nucleotides and Taq Polymerase to amplify DNA, how real-time PCR detects and quantifies DNA as it is copied, and how multiplex qPCR uses different coloured probes to detect multiple targets in one tube. Examples include respiratory infection testing for Influenza A, Influenza B and SARS-CoV-2.