Long-read (also "third-generation") sequencing can, as the name says, generate very long sequencing reads. In contrast to short read technologies which generate reads of up to several hundred base pairs in length, long reads can be up to dozens or even hundreds of kilobases in length.
There are two major players in the field:
- Pacific Biosystems® (PacBio) (SMRT® Sequencing). PacBio's "Sequel" and "RS II" systems are quite expensive and rather big devices which means they are mostly operated by sequencing centers.
- Oxford Nanopore Technologies® (MinION®, GridION® and PromethION® devices). In particular, the MinION is very small (like an office stapler) and extremely competitive in price. Setting up your lab to do sequencing with this technology does not cost much!
An important plus is that both technologies are capable of directly detecting methylated DNA.
Learn more about those technologies here.