Phase Genomics Receives $1.5MM NIH Grant to Develop Fast and Affordable Commercial Antimicrobial Resistance Tracking Kit

Phase Genomics, Inc., the biotech leader providing proximity-ligation next-generation sequencing (NGS) solutions for metagenome assembly, announced the award of a $1.5MM National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) grant to develop a low-cost platform for targeted detection of antimicrobial resistance mobile elements and their hosts in uncultured microbial communities.

Phase Genomics will develop a rapid antimicrobial resistance (AMR) element capture kit and a user-friendly web portal to identify the hosts of AMR genes and analyze the transmission of antimicrobial resistant elements directly from complex microbial communities. The new AMR tracking kit will initially target a combination of markets valued at more than $400MM, including high-risk scenarios requiring quick turn-around such as human infectious disease in clinical settings, and AMR reservoirs like wastewater treatment plants and agricultural environments.