Budgeting for an mRNA-seq project? Here are the main cost drivers to keep an eye on.

The cost of RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) ranges from approximately $36.9 to $173 for a single sample in an mRNA-seq experiment. Sequencing costs have dropped significantly thanks to the ‘multiplexing’ of hundreds of samples in one sequencing run. The most expensive step is now often the library preparation; however, 3’ mRNA-seq barcoding and pooling library preparation methods are reducing these costs dramatically (Figure 1). Despite this, the true cost still depends on your experimental question.

This question will determine the most appropriate type of RNA-seq to perform, such as short-read mRNA, total RNA, small RNA, or long-read sequencing experiments.

Your experiment will also determine the number and type of samples, the RNA extraction method, type of library preparation, choice of sequencing platform, sequencing depth, read length and the use of single or paired-end (PE) reads. Less sequencing depth, shorter read lengths and single-end reads all make RNA-seq cheaper but reduce coverage.

Additional factors to consider include data analysis, storage and hands-on-time.?

Read more on the cost breakdown (Figure 1) here.

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