Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) is the technology that allows scientists to pinpoint the exact cause of a rare disease or track the real-time spread of viral variants, such as those seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. By reading billions of DNA "letters" simultaneously, NGS has replaced decades of slow, expensive sequencing methods and now powers personalized medicine, where treatments are tailored to a person's specific genetic makeup. BDG Lifesciences' 10-Day NGS program takes high school students through the complete journey from wet-lab concepts to computational data analysis, delivered through ten live sessions of 60–90 minutes over Zoom.

The first half of the program covers the technology and molecular foundations behind sequencing. Day 1 introduces genome organization, chromatin structure, gene architecture, and the central dogma of molecular biology, with hands-on visualization in the UCSC Genome Browser. Day 2 covers genetic variation, including SNPs, indels, copy number variants, structural variants, and the distinction between somatic and germline mutations, with variant browsing practice in Ensembl. Day 3 traces the evolution of sequencing technology, from Sanger sequencing chemistry and capillary electrophoresis through Illumina's bridge amplification and sequencing-by-synthesis chemistry. Day 4 covers third-generation sequencing platforms including PacBio SMRT and Oxford Nanopore, long-read sequencing dynamics, and the library preparation process, including fragmentation, adapter ligation, and indexing.

The second half of the program moves into computational data analysis, the core "data side" of NGS. Students learn NGS file formats including FASTQ, Phred quality scores, SAM/BAM, and VCF, then move into hands-on quality control using FastQC and MultiQC, and read alignment using BWA and HISAT2 against a reference genome with a sample dataset. Day 6 covers post-alignment processing with SAMtools and variant calling using GATK HaplotypeCaller, including filtering metrics and VCF inspection. Day 7 introduces RNA-Seq analysis, covering count matrices, normalization methods (TPM, FPKM), and differential expression concepts using DESeq2. Day 8 covers functional annotation through Gene Ontology and KEGG pathway analysis using Enrichr and DAVID. Day 9 focuses on data visualization, including heatmaps, PCA plots, volcano plots, and the IGV genome viewer, practiced in R. The program concludes on Day 10 with translational genomics, covering biomarker discovery, precision medicine, and clinical reporting through case study analysis.

This program is designed for high school students interested in genomics, biotechnology, computational biology, or future careers in medicine, oncology, or biomedical research, and gives them hands-on experience with Linux and coding environments such as Google Colab alongside professional-grade bioinformatics software. Sessions are led by trainers with research backgrounds in bioinformatics, computational biology, genomics, and AI applications in life sciences, several of whom have mentored students to science fair recognition and peer-reviewed publication. Each session includes a written summary and recording for later review, and participants receive a Certificate of Completion from BDG Lifesciences.

The program fee is $260 USD.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do students need coding experience before taking this NGS program?
No prior coding experience is required. The program introduces Linux and coding environments like Google Colab progressively through guided, hands-on sessions, building computational skills alongside the genomics content rather than assuming them beforehand.

What software tools will students learn to use in this NGS program?
Students gain hands-on experience with UCSC Genome Browser, Ensembl, FastQC, MultiQC, BWA, HISAT2, SAMtools, GATK HaplotypeCaller, Enrichr, DAVID, IGV genome viewer, and R for data visualization, covering the complete professional NGS analysis pipeline.

What is the difference between the "tech side" and "data side" of this program?
The first half of the program (the tech side) covers the molecular biology and sequencing technology itself, including genome organization, genetic variation, and the evolution from Sanger to third-generation sequencing. The second half (the data side) covers the computational analysis pipeline, from raw sequencing files through alignment, variant calling, RNA-Seq analysis, and clinical interpretation.

Will students work with real genomic file formats like BAM and VCF?
Yes. Students learn to work directly with industry-standard NGS file formats including FASTQ, SAM/BAM, and VCF, and gain practical experience inspecting and manipulating these files using tools such as SAMtools and GATK, skills that are directly relevant to biotech internships and university research labs.

How does this program prepare students for biomedical or genomics-related careers?
The program builds the same Linux, "big data," and genomic file format skills that biotech companies and university labs look for in candidates, while also giving students exposure to how NGS is applied in oncology, forensics, agriculture, and precision medicine, strengthening both college applications and competitiveness for research internships.

How long is the program and how are sessions delivered?
The program runs for 10 consecutive days, with one live session of 60 to 90 minutes per day delivered over Zoom. Each session includes a written summary for revision, and recordings are shared for future reference.

Why is the registration fee charged in Australian Dollars (AUD) if the program fee is listed in USD?
Registration and payment are processed through Humanitix, our Australian payment platform. The ticket price shown in AUD at checkout is equivalent to the USD fee listed on this page, based on the prevailing exchange rate at the time of payment.