Laboratory reagents required for next-generation sequencing.

The Virology Surveillance and Virology Research and Development Departments of the U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit SOUTH (NAMRU SOUTH) are seeking to purchase laboratory reagents to perform genome characterization using next-generation sequencing (NGS) using either MiSeq or MiniSeq Illumina platform. Specifically, requirement involves reagents for full genome sequencing of several viruses mainly influenza A, SARS-CoV-2, Dengue, Chikungunya, Zika.

Two approaches are used, targeted and random amplification to obtain whole genome for SNPs analysis, lineage identification, genotyping and for pathogen discovery in respiratory and serum samples collected in our surveillance protocols. Some of our NGS protocols use library kits for library preparation and quantification. These reagents have been previously validated by NMRC-BDRD. The library kit will mainly be used for SARS-Cov-2 whole genome sequencing following NMRC-BDRD protocol.

NMRC-BDRD already tested the kits with Illumina sequencers. Since these kits prove to perform up to standard, all reagents used must remain the same as the ones specified in the SOPs; otherwise, the design and validation of these processes would have to be reinitiated from scratch, which would delay all processing and the timely diagnosis of relevant viral pathogens. NAMRU SOUTH will require items purchased to be shipped to Callao, Peru, on dry ice as soon as contract is awarded.