In this blog series we will explore multi-targets panels- looking at the applicable use cases, the advantages and the drawbacks of these assays. These panels are designed to simultaneously test for multiple genetic markers across a variety of pathogens. By amplifying different pathogens in a single assay, or multiple targets within the same pathogen, the panels improve detection rates, reduce time to results, and ensure accurate treatment.

Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox), a virus that has long been endemic in parts of Africa, is now the focus of global concern following a surge in cases and the WHO’s declaration of mpox as a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern." The new strain of mpox that has emerged is reportedly more easily transmitted in a wider range of ways, including through close physical contact, sexual contact and through respiratory secretions.

As South Africa enters the winter season, the country is experiencing a small uptick in COVID-19 cases amidst the concurrent flu season. The latest data indicates that the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has reached over 4 million, with more than 102 000 deaths reported since the pandemic began. Hyrax Biosciences remains committed to supporting SARS-CoV-2 variant detection and surveillance through Exatype, its online analysis platform.

To support the analysis of Mtb data using NGS technologies, Hyrax Biosciences recently launched Exatype Mtb for targeted and whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Incorporating the latest WHO mutation catalogue, Exatype Mtb generates comprehensive drug-susceptibility reports and lineage-typing results. True to the streamlined nature of the Exatype platform, Exatype Mtb offers a secure, cloud-based, high-throughput solution for NGS-based Mtb drug-susceptibility reporting.

Hyrax Biosciences is extending their co-marketing agreement with Roche to include integrated sample preparation workflows for HIV, TB and respiratory virus panels. With Hyrax Biosciences' streamlined analysis and Roche's KAPA HyperCap and KAPA HyperPETE workflows for Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Sample Preparation, users can expect faster turn-around times, sequencing efficiency, and panel-specific consolidated reporting.

On Wednesday (30 March 2022), the WHO released an updated, and the third version, of their Strategic Preparedness, Readiness and Response Plan for COVID-19. During his opening remarks at the press conference, WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, emphasised the importance of equitable vaccination and continued surveillance – not only in response to COVID-19, but also for future epidemics.

SARS-CoV-2 sequence analysis software are NGS tools for analysing and interpreting the DNA of the coronavirus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic. There are multiple steps in the analysis workflow, and at each step, a researcher or laboratory scientist can use an array of different SARS-CoV-2 sequence analysis software to obtain the results they need.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is a catch-all phrase for all the sequencing technologies that share the approach of using massively parallel processing. Compared to first-generation sequencing (commonly referred to as Sanger sequencing) that produces a single read (DNA fragment) at a time, NGS technologies can produce billions of short reads per experiment. With billions of sequenced DNA fragments, it is clear to see that NGS technologies are completely reliant on the availability of NGS tools to support them.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an international public health emergency as identified by the WHO. If no action is taken, we could be spending an additional 1,2 trillion dollars per year on health by 2050 due to the impact of AMR. Much work has been done in the public health space to try and bring attention to this pandemic, however it remains an under recognised and poorly addressed threat.

End-to-end bioinformatics solutions are software, such as sequence analysis programs, that turn laboratory-produced data into interpretable results. Instead of spending hours analysing each individual experimental dataset, results from routine laboratory tests can be translated to meaningful results simply and quickly by end-to-end bioinformatics solutions.

There are few feelings more distressing to a software developer than receiving news of a totally unknown error experienced by an important customer. At Hyrax Biosciences, we’re always trying to get just a little bit better at what we do: to improve our software, tests, review processes and deployment frameworks. We want our users to be able to forget about their NGS data analysis, and concentrate on what they do best: generating data.

Infectious disease genotyping has become a mainstream topic due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but finding variants and reporting their significance is as old as the field of genetics itself.

Friends have repeatedly asked me the same question over the course of my last two years at Hyrax Biosciences. The question begins with "what’s it like working on the pandemic?", which is usually swiftly followed by either "that must be so meaningful" or "that must be so hard".

The World Health Organization (WHO) report on HIV drug resistance was published at the end of November 2021. The report highlights the progress in HIVDR surveillance and emphasises the need for continued monitoring as regimens shift to include antiretroviral therapy (ART) targeting integrase.

Concerns around the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants that have increased transmissibility and/or reduce vaccine efficacy means that countries are continuing to scale their SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance.

Hyrax Biosciences is excited to announce that we have included analysis support for sequence data generating using Oxford Nanopore Technologies. This update means that the Exatype platform, Hyrax Biosciences' genotyping software solution, now includes analysis support for all major sequencing platforms: Illumina, Ion Torrent and Oxford Nanopore.

At Hyrax Biosciences we continue to support the surveillance efforts for SARS-COV-2, to be able to detect and monitor Variants of Concern (VoC) and Variants of Interest (VoI). Our software platform Exatype makes the data analysis for next generation sequencing (NGS) data a simple, automated step in the genotyping process.

In a step towards streamlining SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance, Hyrax Biosciences, a leader in sequence analysis for a range of pathogens, today announced a co-marketing agreement with Roche Diagnostics that will provide integrated sample prep to reporting workflows for translational researchers globally.

Hyrax Biosciences, in collaboration with Thermo Fisher Scientific,  has launched the latest version of their Exatype Sanger HIV solution which now includes testing for resistance to integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs).

With new SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern emerging around the world, global surveillance has become more important than ever. Large-scale sequencing allows for the identification of any new dominance of specific variants, clusters of outbreaks, and the monitoring of viral variants that impact the efficacy of vaccines.