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Illumina lands FDA contract
09-19-2012
EDIT CONNECT
SHARING OPTIONS:
SAN DIEGO—Illumina, Inc. has been awarded a contract from
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to provide next-generation
sequencing in the effort to identify
foodborne pathogens. Under the contract,
Illumina will provide the FDA with MiSeq sequencing systems and reagents for
performing whole-genome analysis
on produce and produce-related environmental
Salmonella and shigatoxigenic E. coli isolates. The contract will total up to
$17 million over the course
of five years.
MiSeq, Illumina's fully integrated personal sequencer,
offers a sequencing solution
from rapid sample prep through automated data
analysis and storage in the cloud, enabling users to move cover sequencing
preparation, running and
analysis in just eight hours. The FDA uses several MiSeq
systems already, and is furthering its ability to offer resources and training
to develop
whole-genome sequencing capabilities as part of a proof-of-concept
initiative. In the short term, the FDA hopes to collect data that will enable
better
source tracking of Salmonella, which remains the leading cause of
food-borne illness in the United States.
"Illumina applauds the FDA's commitment to improving the
public's safety from food-borne illness outbreaks, as demonstrated by its
decision
to further integrate whole genome sequencing into its efforts,"
Christian Henry, senior vice president and general manager of Illumina's
Genomic
Solutions business, said in a press release. "We are extremely pleased
MiSeq was selected as the technology platform for this large-scale initiative.
We are well positioned to deliver on the program's requirements, based on
MiSeq's rapid turnaround time, unmatched accuracy and ease-of-use, as well
as
our proven track record."
The use of Illumina's MiSeq system will allow the FDA's
libraries to
generate high-quality whole genome sequences from both historical
pathogen collections and from bacteria gathered from produce sources. The
sequencing
data that results will be uploaded real-time to the National Center
for Biotechnology Information curated database, which will bolster the
database's
ability to perform source tracking searches. The data will also be
used as an early proof of concept for the rapid networking of resources using a
whole genome sequencing-based approach to the detection, identification and
trackback of pathogens. Sequencing offers accurate subtyping and cluster
analysis in the investigation of food-borne outbreaks and for tracking the
outbreak back to its food or environmental source, and Illumina's system in
particular
enables the screening of bacterial pathogens given its speed, high resolution
and accuracy, which makes it easier to identify closely
related bacterial
isolates.
The contract comes on the heels of an announcement of
another
expansion to Illumina's sequencing offerings. The company has announced
the launch of its TruSeq Stranded mRNA and Total RNA Sample Preparation Kits
for RNA sequencing. The kits allow researchers to conduct gene expression
studies quickly and easily, providing complete views of transcriptomes even
from low-quality RNA samples such as formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples.
SOURCE: Illumina press release Code: E09181201 Back |
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