Definition

A term that describes methods used in the lab to learn the order of building blocks (called nucleotides) for millions of DNA or RNA fragments at the same time. Computers are used to piece together the fragments in order to sequence a person or other organism’s entire DNA, large segments of DNA or RNA, or the DNA in specific types of cells from a sample of tissue. Massively parallel sequencing can also identify changes in certain areas of the genome or in specific genes. There are many different types of massively parallel sequencing methods, including whole-genome sequencing, whole-exome sequencing, multigene panel testing, and transcriptome sequencing. Massively parallel sequencing may help researchers understand the cause of certain diseases, such as cancer. Also called next-generation sequencing and NGS.