Twist Bioscience has made available for research purposes its target enrichment next-generation sequencing (NGS) panels for detecting and characterizing viral samples from patients who test positive for the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.
Researchers can use the NGS panels for monitoring and surveillance testing of SARS-CoV-2, as well as for learning more about the viral evolution and strain origin of the coronavirus, Twist said. Identifying mutations in the coronavirus as it spreads throughout the world can help clinicians develop its "molecular fingerprint" and better understand disease transmission.
The target enrichment panels come in three different reaction sizes, with synthetic double-stranded DNA probes that cover the full span of SARS-CoV-2.
Twist also announced that it is providing synthetic SARS-CoV-2 RNA controls for the development, verification, and validation of diagnostic tests, including NGS and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays, among other uses. In addition, it is working on producing clonal genes and gene fragments for rapid testing of subunit vaccines against the coronavirus.
