Illumina's genomic technologies enable better pathogen preparedness and response

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[{"type":"text","content":"SAN DIEGO, May 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Illumina Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN), a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, today recognized the progress and impact of genomic technologies on pathogen preparedness and response. Following the boost in sequencing infrastructure and capabilities driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, today genomic technologies are enabling public health agencies and health care systems to better prepare for, and respond to, pathogenic threats.\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \nFrom the onset of the pandemic in 2020, Illumina's pathogen genomic surveillance solutions were deployed to characterize the genome of SARS-CoV-2, catalyze development and updates to vaccines and diagnostics, identify virus variants of concern, and monitor the virus's evolution and spread. As the World Health Organization (WHO) and countries including the United States have begun declaring an end to their states of public health emergency, COVID-19 continues to present a complicated global public health challenge.\n\"Even with the end of the public health emergency, there are individuals, communities, and economies deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic; continued vigilance by public health agencies and access to testing, genomic surveillance, vaccines, and treatments is required,\" said Dr. Phil Febbo, chief medical officer of Illumina. \"While we all want to move past the pandemic, by building on the capabilities established during that time, we have the opportunity to keep COIVD-19 controlled and become better prepared for the predictable introduction of future pathogens.\"\nGenomic surveillance\nAccording to the WHO, genomic surveillance is \"the process of constantly monitoring pathogens and analyzing their genetic similarities and differences.\" It has already been used in a focused way with relatively limited capacity to track pathogens, for example in 2013 by the Food and Drug Administration for its GenomeTrackr program, which gathered data from over 100 laboratories performing routine surveillance of the American food supply, many using Illumina technology. This program run in partnership with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Department of Agriculture, enhanced monitoring for foodborne pathogens, and guided the response to foodborne disease outbreaks.\nThe COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the ad...

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