NEBNext® ARTIC SARS-CoV-2 Companion Kit (Oxford Nanopore Technologies®)

For improved performance with BA.2 variants, spike-in primers can now be provided, for use in combination with VarSkip Short v2 primers. Please see this FAQ for more information, including primer sequences. 

See below, including Figure 1 in the Product Information section, for information on VarSkip Short v2 performance with Omicron. Information on primer variant overlaps can be found here

A bulk format (2,304 reactions) is also available. Please contact us for more information.

The NEBNext® ARTIC kits were developed in response to the critical need for reliable and accurate methods for SARS-CoV-2 sequencing. These kits, for long and short read sequencing, were based on the original work of the ARTIC Network(1). The ARTIC SARS-CoV-2 sequencing workflow is a multiplexed amplicon-based whole-viral-genome sequencing approach. 

NEBNext ARTIC kits include primers and reagents for RT-PCR from SARS-CoV-2 gRNA and downstream library preparation for Illumina® and Oxford Nanopore Technologies® sequencing.

This kit includes two options for primers, including new VarSkip Short v2 primers:

  1. The new VarSkip (for Variant Skip) Short v2 primers have been designed at NEB to reduce the impact of SARS-CoV-2 variants on amplification and provide improved performance, including with the Omicron variant. The primer pools are balanced for coverage uniformity. Information on primer variant overlaps can be found here.

  2. The V3 ARTIC primers have been balanced, using methodology developed at NEB based on empirical data from sequencing. In combination with optimized reagents for RT-PCR, the kits deliver improved uniformity of amplicon yields from gRNA across a wide copy number range. 

The Express protocol option removes clean ups of cDNA amplicons and after ligation.

The NEBNext ARTIC SARS-CoV-2 Companion Kit (Oxford Nanopore Technologies) is compatible with sequencing on the Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) platform and is used alongside kits from ONT to generate libraries with inserts in the 400 bp range, that can be sequenced on any ONT instrument, in 2-24 hour run times. 

If Illumina-compatible libraries are preferred, the NEBNext ARTIC SARS-CoV-2 FS Library Prep Kit (Illumina) (NEB #E7658) and the NEBNext ARTIC SARS-CoV-2 Library Prep Kit (Illumina) (NEB #E7650) generate libraries with ~150 bp and ~400 bp inserts, respectively. If only the reagents for cDNA synthesis and targeted cDNA amplification are required, the NEBNext ARTIC SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR Module (NEB #E7626) is available. Note that E7650 does not include VarSkip v2 primers.

  • Includes two primer options: VarSkip Short v2, for improved Omicron coverage, or ARTIC V3
  • Information on primer variant overlaps can be found here
  • Improved uniformity of SARS-CoV-2 genome coverage, with balanced primer pools
  • Express protocol option available, with reduced cleanup steps
  • Streamlined, high-efficiency protocol
  • Effective with a wide range of viral genome inputs (10-10,000 copies)
  • For a bulk format of the kit (2,304 reactions) please contact us

1.(Josh Quick 2020. nCoV-2019 sequencing protocol v2 (GunIt). protocols.io https://dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.bdp7i5rn).

Catalog # Concentration Size List Price Your Price Quantity
E7660S Not Applicable 24 reactions $196.00
E7660L Not Applicable 96 reactions $783.00
Please enter a quantity for at least one size

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