European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) intensifies the identification and tracking of mutations of the SARSCoV-2 genome across Europe with support of Eurofins Genomics
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has begun work with Eurofins Genomics with the objective to monitor mutations across European countries.
The EU/EEA Member States are in the phase of increasing both their sequencing capacities and capabilities to set up a robust surveillance system that allows for the detection and monitoring of variant viruses. To support this goal, Eurofins Genomics will provide additional sequencing capacity by using the ARTIC Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology with a rapid turn-around time including bioinformatic services and volume of thousands of samples per week.
ECDC’s main role as an agency of the European Union is to strengthen Europe’s defenses against communicable diseases. The increasing diversity of SARS-CoV-2 variants and the potential higher infectivity of some new viral strains underline the need to identify, trace, and track mutations across the complete viral genome. Currently, strains of concern include the B.1.1.7 variant, first identified in the United Kingdom, and the B.1.351 variant, first identified in South Africa.
Eurofins Genomics’ current COVID-19 testing activities provide large capacities to support health authorities worldwide. The support can vary from supply of highly sensitive PCR kits (e.g. NovaType), qPCR COVID-19 tests, Sanger Sequencing solutions or full genome sequencing with NGS to detect and survey SARS-CoV-2 variants. In addition, large-scale capabilities for antibody testing are also being established, to help following efficiency of vaccination programs and populations’ resistance to COVID.
WGS has globally been accepted as the most accurate subtyping technique for pathogens. It is an extremely powerful tool for tracking infections as it provides unrivalled genetic information into the specific strains involved.
For Further Information:
Media Contact:
Julian Schlossmacher Head of Marketing and Communications Europe Eurofins Genomics +49 8092 8289 925 julianschlossmacher@eurofins.com
Contact sales BeLux:
sabinelegall@eurofins.com - +32 491 56 43 99
Eurofins Genomics Website: www.eurofinsgenomics.com