Infectious disease research
Discover better vaccines, treatments and outcomes with full characterization of pathogens, their mobile elements and communities.
Accelerate your research with in-depth genomic profiling
Comprehensive genetic information provided by Single Molecule, Real-Time (SMRT) sequencing has radically increased our understanding of microbial genomics, pathogenicity, and antimicrobial resistance. The PacBio systems empower scientists to:
- Generate closed microbial genomes and plasmids to uncover the drivers of pathogenicity, virulence, and drug resistance
- Resolve viral populations to unravel host pathogen dynamics and advance the design and evaluation of drugs and vaccines
- Characterize microbial populations to understand how the microbiome impacts human health
Learn how other scientists have used SMRT sequencing to advance infectious disease research:
- Unraveling Malaria Mysteries with Long-Read Sequencing
- Egyptian Rousette Bat Genome Provides Clues to Antiviral Mystery
- Data Release: Zika-Susceptible Aedes aegypti De Novo Genome Assembly
- PacBio-Powered Analysis Indicates Methylation Makes TB Pathogen So Wily
- Sequencing 101: Why Are Long Reads Important for Studying Viral Genomes?
- Full-Length HIV Sequences Reveal Distinction Between Viruses in Brain, Other Tissue
Spotlight
VIRAL EVOLUTION: ASSAYING HOW THE PAST SHAPES THE FUTURE
SARS-CoV-2 mutations in the spike receptor binding domain (RBD) not only directly impact ACE2 receptor affinity but may also modulate the impact of future mutations. Here, a HiFi screening assay is used to measure how individual RBD mutations present in widely circulating variants affect the ACE2 binding affinity of all possible subsequent single amino-acid mutations.
Starr, et. al. (2022) Shifting mutational constraints in the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain during viral evolution. Science.
Spotlight
DECONVOLUTING COMPLEX VIRULENCE GENE SYSTEMS
The deletion of individual virulence genes from L. pneumophila genomes that contain a wealth of such genes does not yield growth phenotypes, making it difficult to connect effector genotype to phenotype. To deconvolute redundancy and synergy in this gene family, the authors developed a HiFi sequencing assay for titratable, multiplex gene knockdown.
Ellis, N.A. (2021) A multiplex CRISPR interference tool for virulence gene interrogation in Legionella pneumophila. Communications Biol.