Redbud Labs, Inc.

System for Unitary Automation of Library Preparation - Abstract Genomic Epidemiology Is Crucial to Outbreak Surveillance and Response. Sequencing Data Lets Us Track Virus Evolution in Real Time to Characterize Transmission Chains, Identify Emerging Variants, and Predict Future Spread. This Information, Which Cannot Be Deduced From Diagnostic Testing Alone, Can Signal the Presence of an Outbreak Before It Becomes a Pandemic. to Inform Corrective Action From Sequencing Data, Results Must Be Obtained Within Hours, Instead of Days. the Biggest Bottleneck to Wider Adoption of Sequencing in Distributed Settings Is Sample and Library Preparation. Ideally, Automated Library Prep Would Be Achieved With an Easy-to-use, Single Button Device That Can Be Deployed in Resource-limited Settings as Part of a Point-of-need Infectious Disease Surveillance/diagnostic System. However, Given the Diversity of Sequencing Applications, There Cannot Be a One-size-fits-all Solution to Library Prep. Instead, We Believe the Correct Strategy Is to Automate Unitary Library Prep Operations, With Well-defined Breakpoints in Between, Enabling the User to Mix and Match These Operations as the Application Demands. This Strategy Will Reduce Hands-on Time and Operator Burden While Maintaining Workflow Flexibility. Phase I of This Project Demonstrated Feasibility of Automating Three Library Prep Operations on the Platform, and Compatibility With Illumina and Oxford Nanopore Sequencing. in Phase Ii, Redbud Labs Will Automate These Unitary Operations on the Naxtract Platform and Validate NGS Performance on Both Illumina and Oxford Nanopore Platforms. Our Solution Will Eliminate Approximately 95% of Pipette Steps From the Workflow. at the Conclusion of This Project, the Platform Will Be Ready for Early-access Testing in Fieldable Sequencing Environments, Including High-containment Public Health Labs and Overseas Disease Surveillance Interventions.