NGS Solutions for Infectious Disease & Microbiology Research

Enable discovery with fast and powerful NGS for infectious disease and microbiology research

The need for faster results and better outcomes in disease research has resulted in a migration from traditional molecular biology techniques such as Sanger sequencing, PCR, and culture-based assays to targeted microbial species profiling and pathogen identification using next-generation sequencing (NGS).

 

The Ion Torrent  and Ion AmpliSeq next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies offer multiple solutions with advantages for clinical researchers studying infectious diseases and other microbial application areas to facilitate rapid and accurate sequencing of microbes.

 

Ion AmpliSeq technologies and sequencing on Ion Torrent platforms use a targeted approach to NGS, and have been pivotal in providing rapid research results, ranging from microbial whole genome sequencing in metagenomics to microbiome profiling, health research, infectious disease research, and pathogen identification. It also supports the analysis of archived samples for disease surveillance research and the studies focused on discovery of mutations that may be associated with antibiotic resistance.

Key benefits of Ion Torrent and Ion AmpliSeq technology

 

  • Fast and simple targeted NGS workflow
  • Exceptional flexibility and scalability
  • Automated workflow capability
  • Customizable panels to meet your specific needs

Featured webinar

Rapid microbial detection and ID with NGS

Learn how rapid NGS is advancing detection and identification of microbial pathogens

Dr. Jennifer Dien Bard discusses her experience using an automated targeted NGS method to rapidly detect and identify bacteria and fungi directly from specimens.

Jennifer Dien Bard, PhD

Chief Clinical Operations Director

Clinical Microbiology and Virology

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Children's Hospital Los Angeles

 

NGS-based solutions for infectious disease and microbiology research applications

Rapid microbial identification (RMID)

Target sequencing with Ion Torrent technology enables researchers to detect and analyze bacterial 16S rRNA, fungal rRNA, and rpoB regions for comprehensive pan-bacterial and pan-fungal detection. Additionally, species-specific amplicons allow for higher-level identification of microbial species, all within a fast and simple workflow.

16S metagenomic research

Ion semiconductor sequencing accelerates and simplifies metagenomics research through whole-genome or targeted sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. Direct sequencing on the Ion GeneStudio S5 System can be performed quickly, and with more amplicons, to enable more accurate discrimination between organisms.

Microbiome sequencing

Ion Torrent targeted NGS allows for cost-effective yet comprehensive profiling of microbial diversity in the human gut microbiome. Use of the Ion AmpliSeq Microbiome Health Research Kit allows for increased resolution and specificity of species-level detection compared with traditional 16S rRNA sequencing for key organisms associated with cancer, immunological, and gastrointestinal (GI) disorder research.

Bacterial typing

Over the past few years, whole genome sequencing (WGS) has emerged as a critical tool for bacterial strain typing, delivering extensive sequencing information that can clearly distinguish closely related strains. With the fast, easy workflows of Ion Torrent NGS technology, essentially any lab can conduct WGS bacterial typing in-house without the need for dedicated bioinformatics teams.

De novo microbial sequencing

With 400-base pair sequencing on the Ion GeneStudio S5 System, sequencing assembly metrics are better than ever, with up to a 90% decrease in indel error rates for microbial sequencing, giving you a fast path to whole-genome sequencing.

Coronavirus surveillance research

The Ion AmpliSeq SARS-CoV-2 Insight Research Assay leverages a unique targeted sequencing approach that yields improved coverage and uniformity from samples previously unobtainable by NGS. Incorporation of intelligent panel design provides an increased resilience to new mutations introduced within the viral genome. Integrated analysis tools enable automated consensus sequence generation, mutation annotation, and lineage assignment.

Viral typing & genome sequencing

Targeted NGS is a rapid and accurate solution for viral genomes, suitable for viral typing, epidemiological studies, and disease surveillance using archived samples from viral investigations. Our viral typing NGS solutions provide high sensitivity, scalability, and rapid turnaround time, which are all vital to viral monitoring and investigation research.

Immune response sequencing

Targeted NGS can provide meaningful insights into how the immune system and armies of T and B cells respond to and protect from foreign bodies during infection and vaccination. Deeper understanding of immune response can provide valuable insight for addressing global public health concerns.

Vaccine development

Ion Torrent targeted NGS offers rapid, multi-dimensional genetic analysis at scale for vaccine research across the development workflow. Whether you need to study pathogen biology and target discovery or comprehensively analyze host immune response, Ion Torrent technology helps researchers quickly and cost-effectively study and improve vaccine development.

Ion Torrent NGS platforms for infectious disease and microbiology research

Genexus System

Through a combination of workflow automation, sequencing performance, and automated data analysis and reporting, the Ion Torrent Genexus System can bring the power of NGS to virtually any lab without the need for extensive sequencing or bioinformatics expertise.

  • Simply load and go—the Genexus Purification System and Genexus Integrated Sequencer combine to automate your NGS workflow. With just two touchpoints and as little as 20 minutes of hands-on time, you can obtain reliable NGS reports in as little as 24 hours.
  • Learn more, faster, with an integrated NGS system—efficiently go from sample to report with automated sample prep and sequencing instruments joined together by powerful Genexus Software
  • Move quickly and confidently—built-in features like onboard sample tracking and barcoding are designed to increase productivity while reducing errors

Ion GeneStudio S5 System


Helping researchers achieve deeper insights through fast, efficient, and cost-effective generation of large sequencing datasets, the Ion GeneStudio S5 System enables scalable, high-throughput NGS for a broad range of applications.
  • Get insights fast—with sequencing and analysis complete in as little as three hours, you can go from sample to analyzed data in a single day
  • Save hands-on time—combine the Ion GeneStudio S5 system  with the Ion Chef System for an automated targeted NGS workflow, from library preparation to sequence analysis and reporting
    • Spend less than 45 minutes of hands-on time for library preparation to chip loading
    • Complete sequencing runs in as little as 2.5 hours
  • Automate report generation—transform data to insight with analysis, QC reporting, and variant calling on Thermo Fisher Connect cloud-based platform or an in-house Ion Reporter Server

Custom Ion AmpliSeq targeted NGS panels

Get ultimate flexibility and speed for pivotal results with Ion AmpliSeq panels

When navigating through the complexities of infectious disease and microbiology research, you need a solution that is both flexible and rapid for analyzing microbes of interest. Ion AmpliSeq technology can help. It is globally used as an amplicon-based enrichment method for targeted NGS. Clinical researchers worldwide choose Ion AmpliSeq technology for fast, simple, and scalable NGS solutions.

 

Contact an NGS sales specialist to learn more about Ion AmpliSeq panels for infectious disease and microbiology research.

Featured infectious disease and microbiology resources

Brochure

Rapid, automated NGS solutions for infectious disease and microbiology research

Flyer

Ion AmpliSeq rapid microbial identification panel

Application note

Rapid, automated NGS solution to survey the complete SARS-CoV-2 genome for epidemiological investigation

White paper

Ion GeneStudio S5 system for multiple SARS-CoV-2 research applications including viral research, host immune response and vaccine research

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

PMR-000322