Sequence error storms and the landscape of mutations in cancer

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has revolutionized genome and transcriptome analyses in recent years. Now, a smart and simple modification termed duplex sequencing published in PNAS by Schmitt et al. (1) may pave the way to explore the full power of NGS in answering fundamental questions and particularly through its application to cancer research. This enthusiasm is warranted because duplex sequencing reportedly reduces the error rate of NGS up to 10 million-fold.