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New Brigham–Wyss Diagnostic Accelerator could enable fast creation of diagnostic technologies

Today, the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and Boston's Brigham and Women Hospital (Brigham) announce their newly founded Diagnostic Accelerator (Brigham-Wyss DxA).

9 Jul 2021

Researchers develop random priming amplification method for whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 and H1N1

Researchers from the UK recently compared the performance of 4 different random priming amplification methods to recover SARS-CoV-2 RNA. In method 1 (H-P), the reverse transcriptase (RT) step included random hexamers, whereas, in methods 2-4, RT incorporated an octamer primer with a known tag. This study is published on the bioRxiv preprint server.

5 Jul 2021

New tool can help conserve one of the UK’s most threatened mammals

A new tool to help conserve one of the UK’s most threatened mammals has been released today, with the publication of the first high-quality reference genome for the European water vole.

24 Jun 2021

Protein blueprint may aid in treatments for infertility and help protect future fertility

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine have developed a blueprint for a protein that plays an important role in the development and regulation of reproductive organs.

22 Jun 2021

Researchers create the most comprehensive atlas of human transcriptome

Together with Baylor College of Medicine and the world's leading sequencing company, Illumina, researchers at Ghent University have built one of the most comprehensive catalogues of the human transcriptome ever.

18 Jun 2021

Nanopore sequencing contradicts human genome integration of SARS-CoV-2

Now a new preprint research paper posted to the bioRxiv* server dismisses the possibility, raised by that study, that the virus inserts its genetic material into the host cell’s genome.

2 Jun 2021

Study: Specific diet, lifestyle interventions may reverse epigenetic aging in healthy adult males

Aging published "Potential reversal of epigenetic age using a diet and lifestyle intervention: a pilot randomized clinical trial" which reported on a randomized controlled clinical trial conducted among 43 healthy adult males between the ages of 50-72.

28 May 2021

Researchers develop a method to detect SARS-CoV-2 and variants simultaneously

Researchers demonstrate a method of detecting the presence and mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 virus using the smaller and cheaper Oxford Nanopore sequencer, a method they believe could make pandemic surveillance faster and cheaper.

26 May 2021

Machine learning technique detects epigenetic drivers of cancers

Scientists have made major advances in understanding and developing treatments for many cancers by identifying genetic mutations that drive the disease.

10 May 2021

Researchers show SARS-CoV-2 genes can be integrated into the human genome

Researchers in the United States have shown that genes from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – can be integrated into the genome of infected human cells.

10 May 2021

New collaboration to study early detection of developmental differences in children

The University of Washington's School of Medicine Brotman Baty Institute for Precision Medicine is collaborating with Illumina, Inc. and GeneDx, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of BioReference Laboratories, Inc., an OPKO Health company, to study early detection of developmental differences in children.

29 Apr 2021

Apes mount a much stronger early immune response compared to African and Asian monkeys

A new study out of the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in humans, chimpanzees, rhesus macaques and baboons has found key differences in early gene expression in response to pathogen exposure, highlighting the importance of choosing the right animal model for the right questions.

29 Mar 2021

DNA spike-ins increase reliability of amplicon-based sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 genomes

In the interests of cost-effectiveness and rapidity, amplicon-based sequencing of the viral genome has been used to provide a sensitive means of genomic surveillance. A new preprint, which was released on the bioRxiv* server, shows how this can be tweaked to make it a reliable source of genomic data by reducing the known potential for contamination.

19 Mar 2021

Study reveals how SARS-CoV-2 spread in Wuhan before the lockdown

Using molecular dating tools and epidemiological simulations, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues at the University of Arizona and Illumina, Inc., estimate that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was likely circulating undetected for at most two months before the first human cases of COVID-19 were described in Wuhan, China in late-December 2019.

19 Mar 2021

Whole genome sequencing may guide blood cancer treatment

For certain blood cancers, such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), deciding whether patients need an aggressive treatment typically hinges on a set of lab tests to identify genetic changes.

11 Mar 2021

Rare Disease Day: Illumina shines a spotlight on people living with rare diseases

With a mission of empowering the rare disease community, Illumina has today partnered with medical researchers and families to highlight the importance of genomic sequencing and to shine the spotlight on the 300 million people worldwide living with a rare disease.

8 Mar 2021

Have a case of a Covid variant? No one is going to tell you

Covid-19 infections from variant strains are quickly spreading across the U.S., but there's one big problem: Lab officials say they can't tell patients or their doctors whether someone has been infected by a variant.

25 Feb 2021

Research shows rapid global spread of Southern California COVID-19 strain

A new strain of the coronavirus in Southern California, first reported last month by Cedars-Sinai, is rapidly spreading across the country and around the world as travelers apparently carry the virus with them to a growing list of global destinations, according to new research published today in the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Medical Association.

15 Feb 2021

SPT Labtech Announces a Co-Marketing Initiative with Thermo Fisher Scientific to Help Reduce the Cost of NGS Library Prep

Initiative to promote the benefit of using Thermo Fisher Scientific’s library prep kits with SPT Labtech’s instruments to help reduce reagent and material requirements for high-throughput genome sequencing.

From SPT Labtech 3 Feb 2021

Study: Bacteria living on toothbrush reflect oral hygiene, not the toilet aerosols

Good news: The bacteria living on your toothbrush reflect your mouth - not your toilet.

1 Feb 2021