NGS solutions for genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2

In the race against new viral variants, hours and minutes matter

The latest twist in the COVID-19 pandemic is the alarming emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern (VOC), such as lineages Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Mu and Omicron. The potential for new variants to evade the immune response, lowering the efficacy of vaccines remains a threat. Labs are therefore under pressure to sequence samples as quickly as possible to identify new and catalog existing SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating in the population. To help you accelerate your SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance efforts, we’ve developed two tailored solutions for viral amplification and NGS library preparation.

QIAseq DIRECT SARS-CoV-2 Kit works with all known Variants of Concern, including Omicron

Accelerate SARS-CoV-2 variant sequencing with a 50% faster, high-throughput NGS solution. The QIAseq DIRECT SARS-CoV-2 Kit provides superior viral genome coverage using a 4-hour, automatable workflow, with a 50% reduction in plasticware use, and support for up to 768-sample multiplexing in a single flow cell lane. The higher-density amplicon tiling of the QIAseq DIRECT SARS-CoV-2 Kit ensures robust performance across all VOCs, including detection of the Omicron and Delta variants, without the need for primer redesign strategies or primer booster kits.

Sequencing COVID-19 mutations after jumping species

By November 2020, more than 200 people in Denmark were believed to have caught COVID-19 from mink. Meanwhile, the virus had been mutating within the animals, resulting in a handful of variants. Dr. Mette Christiansen, Head of the Diagnostic NGS Core Facility, Molecular Medicine (MOMA) at Aarhus University Hospital, discusses the how sequencing all positive cases helped achieve a clear picture of circulating variants. Explore how QIAGEN NGS technologies facilitated this effort.