ABL Texcell Diagnostics publishes a proof of concept combining five tests in a single sequencing run

Five applications, 25 libraries and 82.6% on-target reads

The study, authored by Drali R. et al., concerned the pooling of DeepChek libraries from five infectious disease applications in a single sequencing run, followed by a pathogen-specific bioinformatic analysis using the MicrobioChek software.

In total, 25 libraries prepared from 21 distinct materials produced 39,962,528 read pairs, of which 82.6% were on target. For tuberculosis, the two reference materials gave resistance interpretations consistent with the expected classifications, and the 13 target amplicons reached complete coverage at at least 100×.

The 11 HIV-1 pol region libraries achieved 100% coverage at at least 100×, compared with 89.4% to 91.1% for the two whole-genome libraries.

The six influenza libraries covered 100% of the eight viral segments, which enabled subtype and HA clade assignment, with support from the Nextclade tool.

For cytomegalovirus, six genes were covered in simplex format, but multiplex coverage was complete for only five of them, which, according to the study, highlights the need to assess depth gene by gene.

For bacterial identification by full-length 16S, two reference libraries yielded sequences consistent with the expected organisms, with acknowledged limitations at the species level.

A single run, without replication or established cost gains

The authors argue that combining complementary tests in a single run could help laboratories coordinate instrument use and streamline downstream analysis. They nevertheless specify that the benefits in time, cost and routine clinical performance remain to be established through broader, replicated evaluations.

The accompanying scientific note points out that the trial relies on a single run, without replication, and that it establishes neither analytical reproducibility, nor clinical sensitivity or specificity, nor time or cost gains. The regulatory status and research use depend on each product reference and each territory.

The company, based in Woippy, invites interested laboratories to contact it regarding its DeepChek tests, its DNBSEQ-compatible library preparation (references 203A and 204A), and its MicrobioChek analysis tool.