Clinical Microbiomics creates advanced long-read metagenomics sequencing tools

23 Apr 2024 --- Denmark-based microbiome analytics company Clinical Microbiomics unveils its advanced long-read sequencing services that meet the strict requirements of academic, clinical and industrial researchers. The advancement significantly bolsters the company’s ability to understand and leverage microbial interactions in health, disease and environmental studies.

Clinical Microbiomics long-read sequencing services are globally available, supported by laboratories in Denmark and the US. The recent merger with CosmosID expanded the company’s global reach.

“Our enhanced long-read sequencing capabilities are redefining the standards in microbial analysis and microbiome research. By broadening our range to include 16S, ITS, 18S rRNA, custom gene sequencing, and comprehensive genomics and metagenomics, we offer a more extensive and innovative perspective on microbial ecosystems,” says Anders Grøn, CEO of Clinical Microbiomics.  

Microbial analytics
The company’s acquisition of DNASense, co-founded by Oxford Nanopore Technologies developer community members, has significantly bolstered its sequencing and analytical capabilities. It establishes new standards for reliability and precision microbial sequencing.

“Our new long-read sequencing services represent a significant advancement in microbiome research. Generating longer reads equips us to provide microbial community insights at a much higher resolution. This precision not only aids in distinguishing between closely related organisms but also significantly enhances our capability to link specific functions to these organisms,” says Dr. Henrik Bjørn Nielsen, chief scientific officer of Clinical Microbiomics.

Furthermore, the depth of data we collect supports the construction of high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes, offering our clients a more precise and more complete picture of the microbial ecosystem.”

A few of the main features are longer reads, high-quality scores, multi-omics, comprehensive workflow, advanced bioinformatics and user-friendly software. 

In 2023, Clinical Microbiomics developed the Human Microbiome Profiler 2.0 called Champ, which is set to accelerate microbiome research by maximizing insights from data and minimizing the risk of false discoveries.

Data at your fingertips
Longer reads of microbiome samples enable detailed analysis of complex microbial communities and create closed genomes for better mapping. When high-quality scores are produced, the need for resequencing is reduced, speeding up the research process. This provides confident identification of modified bases for precise gene annotation and marker gene analysis. 

By integrating long-read sequencing with (meta)transcriptomics and metabolomics, Clinical Microbiomics can offer resolution for isolates and complete microbiomes, an approach that supports unbiased native DNA sequencing. In addition, end-to-end workflows include long-read compatible DNA extractions, customized sequencing library preparation and sequencing using the ONT P24 platform, and the latest signal processing algorithms.

The program uses de novo bioinformatics pipelines optimized for long-read data to facilitate better binning for high-level R&D insights. The software includes intuitive result exploration that enhances the user experience and efficient data interaction for fast turnaround times.

The company’s new long-read sequencing capabilities will be presented at the 12th Microbiome, Probiotics and Prebiotics R&D and Business Collaboration Forum in The Hague, Netherlands, on Wednesday, April 24.

Meanwhile, as people worldwide live increasingly longer and want to remain active and independent as they age, experts underscore the critical role of gut health for healthy aging and its impact on maintaining cognitive vitality and independence. Nutrition Insight discusses solutions and trends in the space with industry experts from Beneo, Kaneka Probiotics, Gnosis by Lesaffre, IFF Health and ADM.

By Inga de Jong