Ion AmpliSeq™ Microbiome Health Research Assay GX

The Ion AmpliSeq Microbiome Health Research Assay Gx is a targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) assay for characterization of the human gut microbiome, which has been implicated in human disease. The assay consists of two pools of Ion AmpliSeq oligonucleotide primers and the associated reagents to generate amplicon libraries for NGS on Ion Torrent platforms. The assay targets multiple hypervariable regions in the 16S rRNA gene, as well as 73 species-specific sequences. With this assay, DNA isolated from human stool samples is used to generate libraries for templating and sequencing on the Genexus Integrated Sequencer.

Features of the Ion AmpliSeq Microbiome Health Research Assay Gx include:
• Simple—full sample-to-answer solution consisting of an easy and robust workflow including analysis software
• Robust—enables profiling of the human gut microbiome with excellent sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility
• Comprehensive—enables accurate taxonomic profiling and relative abundance estimation targeting eight of nine 16S hypervariable regions of 16S rRNA gene and accurate detection of 73 key bacterial species associated with human disease
• Efficient—enables screening of 24 samples (48 libraries) multiplexed using two lanes of the Gx7 Chip, with entire workflow typically completed in two days, including analysis
• Sensitive—only requires 1–5 ng of total DNA input

This assay is designed to assist researchers in understanding the impact of gut microbiome diversity and composition on human health and disease. The kit enables global characterization of the microbiome by assaying multiple hypervariable regions in the 16S rRNA gene and detection of 73 key bacterial species associated with human diseases, such as cancer, including bacteria linked to the potential efficacy of immune-modulatory drugs and gastrointestinal and immunological disorders, as well as infectious disease. We have designed species-specific primers that provide high strain coverage and high specificity performance using the best-in-class amplicon technology. With this approach, reads generated from sequencing can be analyzed to report taxonomic classifications and relative abundance for organisms in the sample with high specificity and sensitivity.