---
title: Requirements for submitted FASTQ files
description: "The accepted input files to run analyses on VarSome Clinical are either: Paired-end reads must be provided in two different files, e.g.: sample_R1.fastq.gz and sample_R2.fastq.gz. We expect files that"
---

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# Requirements for submitted FASTQ files

[VarSome Clinical](https://saphetor.com/varsome-editions/varsome-clinical/) accepts FASTQ files from Illumina, MGI, Element Biosciences, or GeneMind sequencers and expects that the files conform to the respective naming conventions of those manufacturers.  

When providing paired-end FASTQ files, we require that the reads are properly coordinated between them. Paired-end reads provided in a single FASTQ file are not accepted.

Additionally, FASTQ files need to be trimmed, with adapter content removed, before uploading to VarSome clinical.

For Illumina and Element Biosciences paired-end files, we will consider pairs to be files with the same name except for the number of the read.

For example:

- **SampleName\_S1\_L001\_R1\_001.fastq.gz** and
- **SampleName\_S1\_L001\_R2\_001.fastq.gz**.

We accept files in which the read number is specified alone:

- For example SN1234\_S1\_L001\_1.fastq.gz and SN1234\_S1\_L001\_2.fastq.gz 

or with an “R” before the number:

- For example SN5678\_S1\_L001\_R2.fastq.gz and SN5678\_S1\_L001\_R1.fastq.gz.

For further instructions in terms of naming conventions, please refer to [Illumina](https://support.illumina.com/help/BaseSpace_OLH_009008/Content/Source/Informatics/BS/NamingConvention_FASTQ-files-swBS.htm.). 

 

For MGI paired-end files, we will parse the files as follows:

- **\[flow cell ID\]\_\[lane ID\]\_\[barcode ID\]\_(optional\_id)\_\[read 1/2\].fastq.gz**

and we accept the number of the read to be specified alone:

- For example, 12345\_L02\_48\_1.fastq.gz and 12345\_L02\_48\_2.fastq.gz 

or with an “R” before the number:

- For example, 6789\_L02\_56\_R1.fastq.gz and 6789\_L02\_56\_R2.fastq.gz

For further instructions in terms of naming conventions, please refer to [MGI Tech](https://en.mgi-tech.com/contact/). 

In cases were there are **more than two** paired-end files per sample, all the paired reads should have the following naming structure: 

E12345\_34\_4321\_**L001\_R1**\_001.fastq.gz   
E12345\_34\_4321\_**L001\_R2**\_001.fastq.gz  
E12345\_34\_4321\_**L002\_R1**\_001.fastq.gz  
E12345\_34\_4321\_**L002\_R2**\_001.fastq.gz  
E12345\_34\_4321\_**L003\_R1**\_001.fastq.gz  
E12345\_34\_4321\_**L003\_R2**\_001.fastq.gz

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