As we embrace technology across various industries and aspects of our daily life, the medical field is not an exception. With bioinformatics and high-throughput technologies, physicians can provide new insights into disease transmission, antimicrobial resistance, and virulence. In addition, through next-generation sequencing, there’s hope for improving public and clinical health microbiology. This medical technology trend is applicable in the treatment of various disease-causing agents that plague people daily, like viruses, fungi, bacteria, and parasites. Depending on the sequencing objective, physicians can choose the most effective option with the highest chance for success.

Next-generation sequencing is becoming a more viable first-line strategy when dealing with the management of disease-causing pathogens because technology has enhanced sample collection, flexibility, and portability of the needed devices. After COVID-19 became a global pandemic, the need for next-generation sequencing has grown even more since it offers critical advantages for surveillance and outbreak investigation. It has also enhanced the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disorders like inherited cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease, and channelopathies.

What Exactly Is Next Generation Sequencing?

Next-generation sequencing, also called massively parallel sequencing, is an advanced-technology DNA sequencing method that gives extensive and more accurate genome information within a shorter period as compared to the culture-dependent approaches. Next-generation sequencing also allows for DNA sequencing of multiple samples at the same time. This sequencing technology advancement is highly flexible and can, therefore, be designed to suit any size of genome, from the small genomes, as in viruses, to larger ones.

Next-Generation Sequencing in Wound Management

The conventional culture-dependent methods have proven to under present data on the microbiome of wounds and infection. On the other hand, due to its quality of being thorough, next-generation sequencing has proven to be a more accurate microbial identification method. It avails unique information and characterization of microorganisms on wounds. More precise identification of injury microbiota results in informed solutions and wound treatment options.

The benefits of next-generation sequencing can be categorized as follows:

1. Importance in Wound Treatment

The bioburden on wounds plays a significant role in determining the type of medication that would ensure faster healing and avoid re-hospitalization. Physicians are likely to prescribe the wrong medication with erroneous data on the specific microbes present in the wound. This results in wound complications or delayed healing. When clinicians employ next-generation sequencing approach, they have exact data on these microbiomes. Consequently, the best treatment options are prescribed.

2. Importance in Wound Management and Care

Chronic wounds and infection-related complications have recently been on the rise. Nevertheless, the application of next-generation DNA sequencing on these areas is absolutely a promising way to largely mitigate the occurrences. Accurate characterization of wound microbes would inform physicians on the most effective measures to be taken throughout the healing process. Next-generation sequencing has played an integral role in bringing clarity to the clinical care of wounds. A better understanding of the composition and contribution of microorganisms on chronic wounds and infected Diabetic Foot Ulcers has resulted in improved care and management.

Next-generation sequencing has also been applied to diagnose cardiovascular diseases with complex traits such as an aortic aneurysm. The future of NGS in the diagnosis of various diseases and wound treatment is promising. With technology trends, it provides researchers with the necessary tools needed to draw high-resolution DNA methylation maps and histone modifications in typical diseases and tissues.

Contact us for more insightful information and effective services regarding next-generation sequencing applications for wound management and care.