Thermo Fisher Scientific Ion AmpliSeq SARS-CoV-2 Research Panel

As countries begin to ease restrictions and allow some businesses to reopen, contact tracing and epidemiological studies will be critical to understand resurgence of potential COVID-19 outbreaks. Scientists not only need to know who is infected, they also need to rapidly identify which strain of the virus is spreading.

To expedite such analysis, Thermo Fisher Scientific has optimised its Ion AmpliSeq SARS-CoV-2 Research Panel, previously designed to run on the Ion GeneStudio S5 System, for the Ion Torrent Genexus System. The panel is useful for laboratories that intend to sequence SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus samples.

A versatile, turnkey solution with a simple-to-implement workflow, the Genexus System’s ease of use has been developed to provide all researchers — regardless of expertise level — access to the power of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, which provides scientists a high-throughput method to quickly analyse the virus’s genetic code and trace its origin. Doing so with the Genexus System, an automated NGS platform can provide results in about 24 h.

The platform’s fast speed and automation are designed to accelerate a broad range of applications, including oncology, infectious disease and reproductive health, among others.