Thermo Fisher Scientific introduced an Ion 16S Metagenomics Kit that leverages the Ion Torrent sequencing platform and Ion Reporter for seamless assessment of mixed bacterial populations. It provides a streamlined method for identifying bacteria from mixed culture samples. The new kit is designed for use with the Ion PGM System and Ion Reporter software for data analysis.

"The rapidly growing body of evidence supporting the microbiome's role in human health has inspired our R&D team to create a complete solution that leverages the speed and accuracy of next generation sequencing. The new Ion16S Metagenomics Kit now provides scientists with a fast and low-cost approach to elucidate what is yet to be discovered in this emerging field of research,"said Mr Chris Linthwaite, head of genetic sciences research for Thermo Fisher Scientific.

The 16S Metagenomics Kit's speed and ease-of-use also has the potential to detect contaminants in commercial facilities in conjunction with currently available genotypic identification methods, allowing users to reduce time and cost of quality control.

According to Mr Michael Brewer, head of pharmaceutical analytics, bioproduction at Thermo Fisher Scientific, "The Ion 16S metagenomics system is a great complement to the industry-leading genotypic microbial identification method employed by the MicroSEQ Rapid Microbial Identification System. The kit enables customers to rapidly assess the bacterial population in complex samples via genus or species level identification, generally without a culture step. We see the combination of these two approaches as a new paradigm in accuracy and rapid time-to-result for identifications in the modern microbiology lab."

The Kit is for research use only and not to be used in diagnostic procedures.