Dear Microbiology Insider,
Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is changing the face of clinical diagnostics, offering a way to replace many conventional lab tests with technology that has a wide range of clinical applications.
But that performance comes at a price. NGS systems aren't cheap, with the combination of hardware and software costing several hundred thousand dollars. Contributing writer Joe Constance takes a look at the cost-benefit analysis of NGS in a new article in the Microbiology Community.
Also, the annual meeting of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) is coming up later this month in Atlanta -- unfortunately at the same time that the southeastern U.S. finds itself in the grips of a COVID-19 outbreak. The AACC has been steadily strengthening its vaccination and testing requirements for attendees. Get the latest on the group's requirements.
In other news in the community:
- Sending outreach workers door to door in the community to conduct COVID-19 testing can improve detection rates, but it's also important to determine the right methodology for where to send them, according to a new study.
- A new polymerase chain reaction test for identifying Chlamydia trachomatis has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
- A new project is underway to assess the incidence of Lassa fever infections in West Africa.
- The efficacy of at-home testing for COVID-19 is still under evaluation, according to an analysis from our sister site, Kalorama Information.
Get these stories and more in your Microbiology Community!
