Background information

The Microbiome Profiler service employs targeted next‑generation sequencing (NGS) to deliver high‑resolution microbial community analysis down to strain level, using your choice of genomic DNA (for taxonomic profiling) or cDNA (for gene‐expression profiling). Traditional approaches like 16S rRNA sequencing often lack species‐ or strain‐level resolution and can be cost‑prohibitive when scaling to large sample numbers. By leveraging Predica Diagnostics’ proprietary Cirnaseq platform and MIPselect probe‑design pipeline, Microbiome Profiler targets only the taxa and genes you care about. This focused assay drastically reduces per‐sample sequencing requirements, while maintaining excellent signal‑to‑noise. This approach enables hundreds of samples to be processed in parallel without the need for extensive bioinformatics expertise.

Why choose Microbiome Profiler?

Microbiome Profiler stands out because it delivers both compositional and functional information in a single, cost‑effective workflow. First, our MIPselect‑designed probe panels target exactly the species or strains of interest, uncovering microbial diversity that 16S sequencing often misses. When you opt for cDNA inputs, the same technology quantifies microbial gene expression, which allows for the assessment of microbial activity. Second, by requiring only 0.5 Gb of sequencing per sample (2×150 bp PE) and applying unique molecular barcodes, we dramatically reduce per‑sample costs while maintaining high depth; this makes large‑scale studies feasible on modest budgets. Third, the service is fully customizable: choose as many targets as you need, adjust panel complexity, and scale sample numbers as you like. Finally, once sequencing is complete, our automated Cirnalyzer software delivers Excel reports containing raw counts, relative abundances, and taxonomic calls.

How to get started with Microbiome Profiler?

1. Share Your Targets

   1. Submit your list of microbial species, genes, or reference assemblies.

2. Assay Design

   1. Our team uses MIPselect to craft a precision probe panel, minimizing off‑target hybridization and maximizing taxonomic accuracy.

3. Sample Submission

   1. Ship genomic DNA or cDNA in a 96‑well plate, along with sample IDs.

4. Sequencing & Analysis

   1. We perform targeted capture, library prep, and sequencing

5. Report Delivery

   1. Within 6–8 weeks*, receive an Excel report listing detected taxa, raw counts, and relative abundances.

*Typical turnaround is 6–8 weeks but may vary with total sample numbers and panel complexity. Exact timing will be confirmed in your project quote.