Illumina partners with GenoScreen to launch NGS based test for rapid detection of anti-TB drug resistance

This latest in NGS innovation, is part of a partnership between Illumina and Genoscreen announced last year to accelerate progress to end TB worldwide

Illumina which is into DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, and GenoScreen, genomics company, have launched a package combining Illumina products and the GenoScreen Deeplex Myc-TB assay, a targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) based test for the rapid and extensive detection of anti-TB drug resistance.

This latest in NGS innovation, is part of a partnership between Illumina and Genoscreen announced last year to accelerate progress to end TB worldwide. The partnership is expanding capabilities for countries most impacted by tuberculosis, including India, to more effectively detect and combat multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB).

Phil Febbo, Chief Medical Officer, Illumina said, “Through our partnership, we will enable lower-income countries to confront the pervasive threat of TB and work toward eliminating it. The COVID-19 pandemic response led to expanded NGS capacity around the world, so now institutions have the platforms needed to support testing for TB drug resistance and improve survival for patients with TB, the leading infectious disease killer prior to COVID.”

André Tordeux, CEO, GenoScreen said, “As a world specialist in TB genomic solutions, we envision this partnership with Illumina as an accelerator for the global deployment of our Deeplex Myc-TB assay, especially for countries with the highest needs.”

Standard culture-based testing methods currently incur turnaround times of up to two months, and conventional molecular assays are limited in identifying drug resistance. The combined use of the GenoScreen Deeplex Myc-TB assay and the Illumina NGS platforms allows much more rapid determination of extensive drug resistance profiles and TB strain types.

The Deeplex Myc-TB assay, developed and produced by GenoScreen since 2019, uses a culture-free approach to identify TB mycobacteria and more than 100 non-TB mycobacterial species, and to predict resistance to 15 antibiotics, in 24 to 48 hours—directly from primary respiratory samples. The Deeplex web application for automated analysis of the sequencing data enables users to easily interpret the results and best define next steps.

Philip Supply, Research Director, French National Centre for Scientific Research said, “The Deeplex Myc-TB kit is the most comprehensive commercial molecular test for detection of anti-TB-drug resistance available to date. We are continually updating the technology to detect emerging resistance to the newest anti-TB drugs.”