Abstract 764: Fully automated sample-to-report NGS workflow for comprehensive genomic profiling for myeloid neoplasms

Introduction: Myeloid malignancies are associated with a broad and diverse set of genomic alterations, including SNVs, insertions, deletions and gene fusions. Comprehensive characterization of genetic mutations in hematological disorders currently requires a variety of diagnostic tests and takes multiple days to complete. We developed a fully automated NGS Myeloid Assay that offers an easy to use sample-to-report workflow and the capability for processing up to 8 samples per day.

Methods: The Genexus System is comprised of two software linked instruments, the Genexus Purification System and the Genexus Integrated Sequencer. The Genexus Purification System was used to isolate the DNA and RNA from blood or bone marrow samples from precharacterized myeloid samples representative of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) and from the blood of healthy donors. The Genexus Integrated Sequencer was used to dilute the nucleic acids to optimal concentration and to sequence the samples in replicates with Oncomine Myeloid Genexus v2 Assay. Six DNA and RNA samples were sequenced per run per day along with commercially available analytical controls and a No Template Control. The report was generated by the Genexus Software analysis pipeline optimized to detect different variant types with high sensitivity and specificity.

Results: The purification workflows were tested with blood input of 50-400uL for DNA and 50-150uL for RNA. Genexus Purification System extracted and quantified nucleic acids showed input dependent yields. DNA and RNA yields obtained with 50uL sample inputs consistently met the 27.5ng DNA and 15ng RNA minimum requirements for Genexus Integrated Sequencer workflows. DNA libraries had >97% Uniformity of Amplicon Coverage and >95% Target Base Coverage at 350x. The percentage ratio of Mapped Reads for DNA and RNA libraries was approximately 80:20. Detected genetic variations included key hotspots in CEBPA, FLT3, IDH1/2, NPM1, NRAS, RUNX1, and U2AF1 genes that are prevalent in AML and MDS. Genexus Variant Calling results showed high reproducibility and high concordance to the Ion GeneStudio S5 sequencing platform (>95%). The analytical controls, AcroMetrix Oncology Hotspot Control, Seraseq Myeloid Mutation DNA Mix and Seraseq Myeloid Fusion RNA Mix, were sequenced with Sensitivity and PPV >95%.

Conclusion: The Genexus System offers an automated sample-to-report workflow with minimal hands-on-time and run results in 30 hours which allows an easy to use solution for next day turnaround time. When used with the Oncomine Myeloid GX v2 Assay, it provides accurate and comprehensive information on diverse mutations including fusions that are relevant to the study of myeloid cancers.

For research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

Citation Format: Marina Sedova, Alexy Ongpin, Jennifer Burke, Collyn Seeger, Sarah Brozio, Janice Au-Young, Jiajie Huang, Thilanka Jayaweera, Iris Casuga, Milton Huynh, Fiona Hyland. Fully automated sample-to-report NGS workflow for comprehensive genomic profiling for myeloid neoplasms [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 764.

Frog nest foams exhibit pharmaceutical foam-like properties

Foams have frequently been used as systems for the delivery of cosmetic and therapeutic molecules; however, there is high variability in the foamability and long-term stability of synthetic foams. The development of pharmaceutical foams that exhibit desirable foaming properties, delivering appropriate amounts of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and that have excellent biocompatibility is of great interest. The production of stable foams is rare in the natural world; however, certain species of frogs have adopted foam production as a means of providing a protective environment for their eggs and larvae from predators and parasites, to prevent desiccation, to control gaseous exchange, to buffer temperature extremes, and to reduce UV damage. These foams show great stability (up to 10 days in tropical environments) and are highly biocompatible due to the sensitive nature of amphibian skin. This work demonstrates for the first time that nests of the túngara frog (Engystomops pustulosus) are stable ex situ with useful physiochemical and biocompatible properties and are capable of encapsulating a range of compounds, including antibiotics. These protein foam mixtures share some properties with pharmaceutical foams and may find utility in a range of pharmaceutical applications such as topical drug delivery systems.

Awakening ancient polar Actinobacteria: diversity, evolution and specialized metabolite potential

Polar and subpolar ecosystems are highly vulnerable to global climate change with consequences for biodiversity and community composition. Bacteria are directly impacted by future environmental change and it is therefore essential to have a better understanding of microbial communities in fluctuating ecosystems. Exploration of Polar environments, specifically sediments, represents an exciting opportunity to uncover bacterial and chemical diversity and link this to ecosystem and evolutionary parameters. In terms of specialized metabolite production, the bacterial order Actinomycetales, within the phylum Actinobacteria are unsurpassed, producing 10 000 specialized metabolites accounting for over 45 % of all bioactive microbial metabolites. A selective isolation approach focused on spore-forming Actinobacteria of 12 sediment cores from the Antarctic and sub-Arctic generated a culture collection of 50 strains. This consisted of 39 strains belonging to rare A ctinomycetales genera including Microbacterium, Rhodococcus and Pseudonocardia. This study used a combination of nanopore sequencing and molecular networking to explore the community composition, culturable bacterial diversity, evolutionary relatedness and specialized metabolite potential of these strains. Metagenomic analyses using MinION sequencing was able to detect the phylum Actinobacteria across polar sediment cores at an average of 13 % of the total bacterial reads. The resulting molecular network consisted of 1652 parent ions and the lack of known metabolite identification supports the argument that Polar bacteria are likely to produce previously unreported chemistry.

Development and Application of an eDNA Method to Detect the Critically Endangered Trinidad Golden Tree Frog (Phytotriades auratus) in Bromeliad Phytotelmata

The use of environmental DNA (eDNA) to monitor rare and elusive species has great potential for conservation biology. Traditional surveying methods can be time-consuming, labour-intensive, subject to error or can be invasive and potentially damaging to habitat. The Trinidad golden treefrog (Phytotriades auratus) is one such species that would benefit from such an approach. This species inhabits the giant bromeliad (Glomeropitcairnia erectiflora) on two peaks on the Caribbean island of Trinidad. Traditional survey methods for this species have required the destruction of the giant bromeliad, which is the only known habitat of this frog. Here we described the development of an eDNA PCR-based assay that uses water drawn from the water-filled phytotelmata of the giant bromeliad along with the use of a synthetic DNA positive control that can be easily amplified in the bacterium Escherichia coli. The assay can detect to a DNA concentration of 1.4ng. Sampling of 142 bromeliads using this method revealed 9% were positive for P. auratus DNA. These data suggest that eDNA methods also have great potential for revealing the presence of elusive species in arboreal habitats.