What is third-generation sequencing?

Third-generation sequencing, also known as long-read sequencing, is a class of DNA sequencing methods currently under active development. The existing second-generation sequencing methods, often referred to as next-generation sequencing (NGS), is based on breaking long strands of DNA into small fragments then inferring nucleotide sequences by amplification and synthesis. In contrast, third-generation sequencing works by reading the nucleotide sequences at the single molecule level, which is capable of producing substantially much longer reads than the current NGS methods. SMRT (Single Molecule, Real-Time) sequencing by PacBio and Nanopore sequencing by Oxford Nanopore are now considered promising examples of the third-generation sequencing platforms.