3rd Conference on NGS for Adventitious Virus Detection in Biologics for Humans & Animals

Rockville, Maryland, USA
September 27–28, 2022

Don't miss the opportunity to see Qiu Ruan's presentation at the 3rd Conference on Next Generation Sequencing for Adventitious Virus Detection in Biologics for Humans and Animals!

Wednesday, September 28th, 2022 | Session 4 at 1:55pm:

"NGS for Adventitious Agent Detection: Analysis Options and Consequences"

Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) is a transformative option for adventitious agent detection due to its speed, sensitivity, and unbiased nature. However, this technique generates a wealth of data leaving companies with an unclear path for how to accurately analyze and draw conclusions to guide future decisions. For example, to identify viral infection of the host genome, several possible viral databases could be used. It is therefore important to ask oneself “What are the benefits and drawbacks of each?”. Another important strategy to consider is mapping the sequencing data. One could either directly map data to these viral databases or attempt to assemble the data beforehand. In this case, the impact of each approach on the specificity and sensitivity of the assay requires consideration. The consequences of not sequencing a production cell line are also important and whether it decreases the sensitivity of detection. For those setting up an analysis process for the first time, particularly those without a strong bioinformatics background, answering these questions can be extremely difficult.

In the past few years, several studies have involved the introduction of viruses into production cell lines to mimic contamination. At Genedata Selector^®, we use raw data from these studies to identify the effects of various analysis decisions, such as the choice of viral database to use or whether to use an assembly or direct mapping strategy. In this manner, we derive best practices. Examples of these include sequencing the host cell line for higher specificity, using assembly-based methods for higher specificity then direct-mapping methods without sacrificing sensitivity, and using the clustered RVDB for the best balance of sensitivity and specificity. Adopting such analysis practices should allow companies to quickly adopt NGS as a platform for adventitious agent detection, without the added uncertainty of how to analyze their results most accurately.

To schedule a meeting in advance or receive more information on Genedata Selector, please contact selector@genedata.com.