Covid-19 contact tracing helped by Thermo’s Ion AmpliSeq SARS-CoV-2 Research Panel

Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Ion AmpliSeq SARS-CoV-2 Research Panel, previously designed to run on the Ion GeneStudio S5 System, has now been optimised for the Ion Torrent Genexus System (just for research, not for diagnostic procedures) to facilitate contact tracing to identify Covid-19 hot spots. The Genexus System is a versatile, turnkey solution with a simple-to-implement workflow, providing researchers of all levels of expertise access to the power of NGS technology. Its speed to results (approx. 24 hours) and automation is designed to accelerate applications like oncology, infectious disease and reproductive health. The Ion AmpliSeq SARS-CoV-2 Research Panel was introduced last year and is listed as a resource on the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention website for laboratories that intend to sequence SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus samples.

The Ion AmpliSeq SARS-CoV-2 Research Panel has already helped trace Covid-19 when a patient and parent both displayed signs of Covid-19 together with four healthcare professionals at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Testing naturally commenced to ensure the safety of patients and staff at the hospital, and the healthcare professionals tested positive by polymerase chain reaction. The Centre for Personalised Medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles performed NGS sequencing on their samples which showed that the parent and child had almost identical strains of the virus that originated in Utah via Europe. The healthcare professionals had strains distantly related to each other and the parent/child, which means the parent/child did not pass the virus to the healthcare professionals, and that the latter were infected via community spread.

Timothy J. Triche, Co-director, Centre for Personalized Medicine, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, said: “The NGS sequence data permitted Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to draw conclusions within 48 hours of sample procurement from the six individuals. This information gave leaders at our institution greater confidence in our ability to provide a safe environment for our patients and our team members.”

Senior vice president and president of Life Sciences Solutions at Thermo Fisher Scientific, Peter Silvester, said: “The desire to get the global economy moving again responsibly is driving the need for advanced NGS technology that can quickly track the virus and enable health agencies to determine next steps. Access to rapid, simple and automated sequencing with the Genexus System can accelerate development of critical data to help stay ahead of COVID-19.”