Shotgun Sequencing News and Research

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Beethoven's cause of death revealed through DNA analysis of his hair

In a recent article published in the journal Current Biology, an international team of researchers sequenced the whole genome to high coverage from eight authenticated hair strands from Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the most influential European classical music composers born in 1770. He died on March 27, 1827.

27 Mar 2023

Distinct microbial profile present in intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy patients

Researchers assessed the impact of the gut microbiome on the host's bile acid metabolism and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP).

14 Mar 2023

Multi-omics approach uncovers gut microbiome-host interactions in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome patients

Researchers performed a multi-omics investigation of gut microbiome-host interactions and plasma metabolomics among myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) patients.

10 Feb 2023

Novel method for comparing whole protein-coding genes between metagenomic data detects an environmental gradient for the microbiota

Researchers from Japan compared phylogenetic trees based on proteomic data of microbiota with dendrograms of environmental factors to determine the role of environmental gradients in establishing microbial communities.

7 Feb 2023

Study implicates gut microbiome health in Parkinson's disease

A new study published in the journal Nature Communications discusses the links between this condition that affects the brain and changes in the gut microbiome that may predate brain changes.

1 Dec 2022

Rice lab’s microbial community profiling software effectively identifies bacterial species

Part of a gene is better than none when identifying a species of microbe. But for Rice University computer scientists, part was not nearly enough in their pursuit of a program to identify all the species in a microbiome.

30 Jun 2022

Clinical assay validation for SARS-CoV-2 sequencing using Swift Biosciences amplicon panel

The current study used the guidelines of the FDA to validate the one-tube SARS-CoV-2 Swift Normalase Amplicon Panel Version 2.0 from Swift Biosciences.

31 Oct 2021

Research reveals the microbial landscape of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosis (SLE) is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system targets tissues of the body, causing widespread inflammation and affecting multiple organs such as the kidney and the brain.

27 Oct 2021

Study aims to find ways of identifying children at risk for severe COVID-19

An ongoing study is looking at the relationship between cytokines in saliva and COVID-19 infection to help predict the severity of infection.

8 Oct 2021

Composition and structure of nasopharyngeal microbiome relate to COVID-19 disease severity

Breathing treatments are provided to hospitalized COVID-19 patients. In this study, the researchers examined the community composition in relation to three attributes - COVID-19 status, breathing assistance, and antibiotic use. This study is published in the journal, Applied Microbiology.

12 Jul 2021

International travelers often return home with new bacterial strains, confirms study

Carried like stowaways in the guts of international travelers, new and potentially deadly strains of antimicrobial resistant superbugs may be coming to a community near you, suggests new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

7 Jun 2021

Researchers use genomic sequencing technique to detect presence of various microbes

About 12,000 bacteria and viruses collected in a sampling from public transit systems and hospitals around the world from 2015 to 2017 had never before been identified, according to a study by the International MetaSUB Consortium, a global effort at tracking microbes that is led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

27 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 variants emerge during humoral immunity phase of acute COVID-19

A new preprint research paper posted to the bioRxiv server reports the rapid emergence of variants within an infected individual. The evolution of the virus within an infected host is not excluded by the close similarity between the consensus sequences of single-person SARS-CoV-2, since the number of viral copies is at its peak soon after infection occurs and before the host develops adaptive immunity.

23 Feb 2021

Novel mutation identified in SARS-CoV-2 spike protein from Sweden

Researchers from Sweden and Brazil have identified a novel mutation in a strain of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) obtained from a patient in Stockholm, Sweden, in late April.

4 Aug 2020

Genomic sequencing shows COVID-19 spread patterns

Throughout the spread of the virus, genomic sequencing has played a role in epidemiologic tracking of the viral strains carried all over the world. Such strains are traced back to their origin by their unique mutations and help to link remote infections.

22 Apr 2020

Link found between the gut microbiome, host genome, and RA in Japanese population

One of the most astounding discoveries of recent times is just how much influence gut bacteria have on our health and well-being.

2 Dec 2019

Study reveals the complexities of viral evolution

Comparing a living cell to a virus is a bit like comparing the Sistine Chapel to a backyard dog house. Lacking the intricate machinery of living cells, viruses represent biology stripped down to an extreme level. They are the true minimalists of the biological world.

31 Jul 2019

Growth of genomic databases hinders efforts to identify bacteria

There are many ways to slice and dice genomic data to identify a species of bacteria, or at least find its close relatives. But fast techniques to sequence genomes have flooded the public databases and in a biased fashion, containing lots of genomic data about some species and not enough about others, according to a Rice University computer scientist.

31 Oct 2018

Parasite egg DNA from ancient latrines shows people's diets from 500 B.C. to 1700 A.D.

Researchers from University of Copenhagen and Aarhus University have studied the DNA from the parasite eggs that are recovered from the faeces samples in ancient times.

26 Apr 2018

Overall balance of bacteria on skin may be key factor for acne development

Researchers, led by Dr Huiying Li, an associate professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, used over-the-counter pore cleansing strips to obtain skin follicle samples from 72 individuals: 38 with acne and 34 who didn't have the disease.

6 Apr 2017