On Nov. 6, 2019, Abbott announced that a team of its scientists identified a new subtype of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), called HIV-1 Group M, subtype L.1 The findings, published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, show the role next-generation genome sequencing is playing in helping researchers stay one step ahead of mutating viruses and avoiding new pandemics.

In partnership with blood centers, hospitals and academic institutions around the world, Abbott has collected more than 78,000 samples containing HIV and hepatitis viruses from 45 countries, identified and characterized more than 5,000 strains, and published 125 research papers to date to help the scientific community learn more about these viruses. The study entitled: “Complete genome sequence of CG-0018a-01 establishes HIV-1 subtype L” was published is the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.