ChunLab Releases Beta Version of TrueBac ID, the Genome-Based Diagnostic Solution for Bacterial Identification

WASHINGTON, September 5, 2019 (Newswire.com) - ​​​ChunLab, a leader in the field of bioinformatics for bacterial taxonomy and microbiome, released the beta version of TrueBac^TM ID system, the world’s first genome-based cloud solution for bacterial identification, targeting over 12,000 species.

Accurate bacterial identification has been a scientific cornerstone for a variety of microbiological disciplines, including clinical and industrial microbiology. The recent introduction of genomics to modern bacterial taxonomy has provided an opportunity for quality-control and diagnostics of infectious agents with unprecedented accuracy and taxonomic resolution.

Using the scientifically sound algorithm and manually curated reference database, the TrueBac ID system can identify the largest number of species with far more accuracy and precision currently offered by existing broad-spectrum diagnostics solutions, including MALDI-TOF MS systems. In a recent evaluation study, TrueBac ID was able to accurately identify 34 out of 36 clinical isolates (94.4%) that had not been identified by the three most popular commercially available MALDI-TOF MS systems (Ha et al. 2019; Ann Lab Med 39: 530-536; doi.org/10.3343/alm.2019.39.6.530).

The system offers the ability to receive a full identification report within three or 30 minutes by simply uploading a genome assembly or raw shotgun sequencing data, as FASTQ files, respectively. The report comprises fully resolved taxonomic classification, along with the profiles of antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes to facilitate correct diagnosis and appropriate therapy.

The superior accuracy, precision and comprehensiveness of the reference database make TrueBac^TM ID an ideal system for microbial identification and diagnosis for clinical and industrial applications where the accuracy is of prime importance. Using ChunLab's new cloud service, microbiologists can now identify over 12,000 species, including difficult to speciate genera like Acinetobacter or Lactobacillus, with high precision and confidence. It’s a method of choice, particularly in situations where MALDI-TOF MS systems fail to identify species. "The advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS) and data-driven diagnostics has the potential to revolutionize clinical diagnostics and infection control, and to that end, TrueBac^TM ID solution is a step forward in adopting this technology in routine clinical applications," said Prof. Dongeun Yong, MD, PhD at Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, South Korea.

The service, available at http://www.TrueBacID.com, is provided freely for all users until the end of 2019. In 2020, ChunLab plans to add additional functions including 'strain-typing' to expand its application to hospital infection control and management.

About ChunLab, Inc.:

ChunLab has been serving the microbiology community for 10 years by providing a state-of-the-art bioinformatics solution and highly curated databases, which are of premium value for scientists, regulatory bodies and clinicians. ChunLab's EzBioCloud database (https://www.ezbiocloud.net) is one of the most used bioinformatics services with >8,000 citations. For more information, please contact us at [email protected].

Source: ChunLab, Inc.