PubMed · 2026-02-14
Scientists built a software tool called PAQman that automatically checks the quality of newly sequenced genomes without needing a pre-existing reference genome to compare against. It bundles seven different quality checks into one streamlined pipeline, making it faster and easier for researchers to validate genome assemblies from modern long-read DNA sequencing technology.
PAQman evaluates seven distinct quality dimensions in a single run: Contiguity, Gene content, Completeness, Accuracy, Correctness, Coverage, and Telomerality.
The tool is fully reference-free, requiring only the assembled genome and its raw long-read sequencing data — no prior reference genome needed.
PAQman integrates multiple existing evaluation tools alongside custom scripts, lowering the technical barrier for researchers building genome assessment pipelines.