METAGENOMICS
Taking the guesswork out of diagnostics Metagenomics is rapidly emerging as a promising method for disease diagnosis, but the need for manual processing is delaying turnaround times and limiting clinical uptake. Dr John Rossen, Head of Global Research & Development and Product Strategy for Europe at IDbyDNA Inc, discusses how the company has developed a test that can give detailed diagnostic reports on pathogens associated with respiratory infections and urinary tract infections, and how automation will speed the transition of this assay from research to routine testing in clinics.
Patients who present with an unknown
investigate all pathogens and host
detailed analysis of several key aspects
respiratory complaint are typically
responses at once. It enables
– such as antimicrobial resistance
given a single, conventional molecular
comprehensive analysis of all microbial
markers – and is more expensive than
test or bacterial culture test for a
and host genetic material – including
more targeted approaches.
suspected target organism, which is
bacteria, viruses and fungi – to help
decided by the physician. This leads to
identify pathogens that were
San Francisco Bay area-based
concerningly low diagnostic success
previously missed. Investigating the
company IDbyDNA has developed an
rates, with no causative pathogen
genomes of the entire microbiome also
innovative Precision Metagenomics
detected in 60 percent of pneumonia
provides insights into complex
approach to overcome the limitations
cases. Clinical shotgun metagenomics
coinfections, and helps to predict
of shotgun sequencing. This
offers an alternative strategy to
resistance or virulence phenotypes
sequencing strategy, combined with
diagnosing disease, by providing a
that can worsen disease outcomes.
advanced AI, is already being used for
broad, unbiased and culture-
However, shotgun sequencing also has
diagnosing respiratory and
independent technique that can
some drawbacks, as it does not allow
genitourinary infections, as well as to
Dr John Rossen (center) with members of the IDbyDNA team 20
TECAN JOURNAL 2/2021
