Background: Recently, it has become possible to collect next-generation DNA sequencing data sets that are composed of multiple samples from multiple biological units where each of these samples may be from a single cell or bulk tissue. Yet, there does not yet exist a tool for simulating DNA sequencing data from such a nested sampling arrangement with single-cell and bulk samples so that developers of analysis methods can assess accuracy and precision.
Results: We have developed a tool that simulates DNA sequencing data from hierarchically grouped (correlated) samples where each sample is designated bulk or single-cell.