We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
ZeptoMetrix an Antylia scientific company

Download Mobile App




Advanced Viral Diagnostics Tool Moves Closer to Widespread Use

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 22 Dec 2023
Print article
Image: VirCapSeq is expected to be regularly used by hospitals in the near future (Photo courtesy of CII)
Image: VirCapSeq is expected to be regularly used by hospitals in the near future (Photo courtesy of CII)

Today's clinical diagnostic tools primarily focus on identifying specific, known pathogens. These targeted assays, like the PCR and antigen tests widely used during health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, are crucial for diagnostics. However, they are inherently reactive and usually come into play once an outbreak is already underway. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) provides a broader range of pathogen detection but lacks the sensitivity of targeted assays. To overcome this, an advanced NGS-based screening and surveillance system named VirCapSeq-VERT was launched in 2015. This system is capable of detecting any virus that could infect humans, whether previously identified or not, with enhanced sensitivity and speed compared to other NGS platforms. The latest iteration of VirCapSeq has now been validated and reported in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.

Developed by scientists at the Center for Infection and Immunity (CII) at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health (New York, NY, USA), VirCapSeq has been utilized globally in research to study acute and chronic disease outbreaks and conduct surveillance in humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. Recently, the CII collaborated with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to expedite the platform's development as a viral diagnostic tool, aiming to strengthen U.S. readiness for future outbreaks and enhance capabilities in infectious disease diagnostics. In 2022, the technology received approval from New York State to be employed in detecting nucleic acids from both DNA and RNA viruses in plasma, and the following year, approval was extended to nasal swabs for diagnosing systemic and respiratory infections. CII researchers expect the technology to be routinely used in hospitals soon.

The validation study, part of CII’s regulatory application to New York State, focused on evaluating VirCapSec's detection sensitivity, consistency, and repeatability. The study also assessed its ability to identify various viruses in co-infections and examined its accuracy and precision in real-world clinical conditions. The results were impressive: VirCapSeq-VERT achieved a clinical sensitivity of 99% and a clinical specificity of 100%. Moreover, it identified co-infections with clinically significant viruses that were not detected by the standard comparator assays used for the initial diagnostic testing.

“VirCapSeq is the only sequencing technology with regulatory approvals that has the broad range coverage of unbiased high throughput sequencing with significantly greater sensitivity in the detection and identification of all vertebrate viruses, including new and emerging species,” said Vishal Kapoor, MS, deputy director for laboratory medicine at the CII. “This technology can help identify novel viral threats early on in a public health emergency with the potential to contain outbreaks and prevent pandemics.”

“Our technology is poised to transform precision medicine, giving caregivers the ability to quickly pinpoint the cause of an infection so as to guide treatment,” added W. Ian Lipkin, MD, John Snow Professor of Epidemiology and the CII director. “At the same time, this diagnostic tool will be a boon for public health by providing information on viruses circulating in a community.”

Related Links:
CII 

Gold Member
Veterinary Hematology Analyzer
Exigo H400
Verification Panels for Assay Development & QC
Seroconversion Panels
New
Ultrasonic Cleaner
UC 300 Series
New
C-Reactive Protein Assay
OneStep C-Reactive Protein (CRP) RapiCard InstaTest

Print article

Channels

Clinical Chemistry

view channel
Image: Professor Nicole Strittmatter (left) and first author Wei Chen stand in front of the mass spectrometer with a tissue sample (Photo courtesy of Robert Reich/TUM)

Mass Spectrometry Detects Bacteria Without Time-Consuming Isolation and Multiplication

Speed and accuracy are essential when diagnosing diseases. Traditionally, diagnosing bacterial infections involves the labor-intensive process of isolating pathogens and cultivating bacterial cultures,... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: The cancer stem cell test can accurately choose more effective treatments (Photo courtesy of University of Cincinnati)

Stem Cell Test Predicts Treatment Outcome for Patients with Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer

Epithelial ovarian cancer frequently responds to chemotherapy initially, but eventually, the tumor develops resistance to the therapy, leading to regrowth. This resistance is partially due to the activation... Read more

Technology

view channel
Image: The new algorithms can help predict which patients have undiagnosed cancer (Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock)

Advanced Predictive Algorithms Identify Patients Having Undiagnosed Cancer

Two newly developed advanced predictive algorithms leverage a person’s health conditions and basic blood test results to accurately predict the likelihood of having an undiagnosed cancer, including ch... Read more

Industry

view channel
Image: The collaboration aims to leverage Oxford Nanopore\'s sequencing platform and Cepheid\'s GeneXpert system to advance the field of sequencing for infectious diseases (Photo courtesy of Cepheid)

Cepheid and Oxford Nanopore Technologies Partner on Advancing Automated Sequencing-Based Solutions

Cepheid (Sunnyvale, CA, USA), a leading molecular diagnostics company, and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (Oxford, UK), the company behind a new generation of sequencing-based molecular analysis technologies,... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.