Researchers from Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) count, for a few weeks now, with the newest massive sequencing techniques. This is a new fourth-generation platform in massive DNA sequencing (also known as NNGS: Next Next Generation Sequencing), that Roche Diagnostics has decided to try for the first time in the Vall d'Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus. The aim of the new technology is to step forward in the field of high-precision personalized medicine in virology, cancer and bacteriology, to shorten the time of diagnosis and get the most pertinent information to optimize treatments.The new technology allows us to analyze the entire genome of the virus in a single run, with greater speed and length of reading. Dr. Rafael Esteban Mur, head of the research group and Liver Diseases Service of Vall d'Hebron, stressed that "we will be able to analyze high variability genomic systems, including viruses, bacteria and tumour cells." This, he says, "will allow us to well stratify patients and choose the most accurate treatment for each case."The team of Dr. Esteban Mur will lead the validation of the first machine that leaves the Roche's facilities, for its http://www.vhir.org/portal1/news-detail.asp?contentid=171406&contenttypeid=295" expertise in the development of an application to classify the types and subtypes of hepatitis viruses, detect mixed infections, and identify the mutations of these viruses that are resistant to antiviral treatments.Once it is validated at VHIR, in early 2017, the technology will be applied to other fields of microbiology and virology at the same Institute, and will also be transferred to other research groups of Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), the Hospital del Mar, the Institute of Biomedical Research of Bellvitge (IDIBELL), the Catalan Institute of Oncology and the Institute for AIDS Research IrsiCaixa. The CEO of Roche in Spain, Jaime Vives, explains that "the very positive experiences with these centres of biomedical research, especially with the Vall d'Hebron, have made Roche bring to Barcelona the first of its new generation platforms that is installed in the world." These centres have formed a consortium to be divided into two main areas: the development of NNGS applications for the diagnosis of infectious agents (viruses and bacteria), the development of NNGS applications for the diagnosis of cancer. Director of VHIR, Dr. Joan Comella said that "the potential of each of the institutes and hospitals that are part of the consortium, as well as the uniqueness of the Catalan bioregion, ensure the project success." Cos Diagnostic applications in virologyIn the area of virology VHIR and IrsiCaixa will work in order to determine by sequencing the specific subtype of the virus of hepatitis B, C, Delta and E, as well as the AIDS virus (HIV), influenza, and others of health interest, as might be the enterovirus or zika.They will also identify predictors of response to antiviral treatment and will analyse in patients' mutations profiles of the viruses hepatitis B and C that cause resistance, in order to facilitate customization of therapies.Finally, the project aims to validate the technology to detect bacterial resistance. In this sense, they want to develop a new methodology to identify the causative agent multiresistant traps of tuberculosis. Cos Diagnostic applications in cancerThe research of the oncological area is divided in non-hereditary cancer, which is carried out by the VHIO and the Hospital del Mar, and hereditary cancer, led by IDIBELL.As for non-hereditary cancer, researchers validate certain somatic mutations in different cancers (colorectal, ovarian, breast, prostate, etc.) by a genetic test that determines by sequencing the genetic alterations in the tumour sample of the patient.On the other hand, in terms of hereditary cancer, the project aims to develop an economically viable genetic test to determine by sequencing all types of mutations in about a hundred genes with medium or high risk of hereditary cancer. The data obtained will be incorporated into a database that allows responsible clinicians to classify most of the mutations identified and act accordingly. Cos Technical features of the new platformThe new platform uses the technology of single molecule SMRT (Single Molecule Real Time Sequencing), which harnesses the natural process of DNA replication and allows to analyse thousands of sequences at once.While current technologies can only analyse about 600 nucleotides, the new technology enables sequencing up to 20,000. According to Dr. Esteban Mur, "the platform can change the paradigm of sequencing, because we can sequence at the same time, thousands of whole genomes of a virus such as hepatitis B." Thus, researchers can explore synergies between different mutations that are in the same genome (combined), and address the sequencing of highly repetitive DNA fragments, or large fragments of inserted or deleted genomes that may be related to the disease.The project will last three years and counts with an investment of more than 8 million euros with the financial support of CDTI.