The basic principles behind NGS (next generation sequencing) and classical Sanger sequencing are similar. In both, dye-labeled nucleotides are added to the growing strand of DNA, and each base is identified based on the color of the dye. NGS is essentially an improvement of the basic Sanger sequencing technology. A snapshot of the main advantages of NGS over classic Sanger sequencing:

• Faster turnaround time for high sample volumes – NGS uses flow cells that can bind millions of DNA pieces and is capable of reading all sequences simultaneously
• Higher sensitivity capable of detecting low-frequency variants
• Lower limit of detection
• Higher sample throughput
• Comprehensive genomic coverage
• Higher capacity with same multiplexing
• Greater discovery power capable of detecting novel or rare variants with deep sequencing
• More cost-effective option for sequencing an entire genome