Technological advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) has created an opportunity for rapid, global studies of microbes and their hosts, providing scientists and clinicians a more complete view of the functional dynamics of organisms as they acquire antimicrobial resistance (AMR). These technologies enable almost real-time monitoring of organisms and pathogens as they emerge within a country, and they also have the potential to detect microbiota as they spread around the world and impact human health. Using these technologies to their full capacity can enable epidemiologists, public health officials, scientists, and specialized threat teams to act quickly to assess, detect, contain, and remove a biological threat and provide new information that could drive future drug and vaccine development.

 
The MetaSUB study involves a complete metagenomic profile of each city’s subway system which includes:

 

  • Sample and Metadata Collection
  • DNA and RNA Extraction
  • Culturing and Live/Dead Assay
  • Library Preparation
  • Shotgun Sequencing