Application of an Illumina MiSeq i100 Plus System to Strengthen Food Safety and Public Health Surveillance in the Vet-LIRN Network

Project Summary The Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (ISU-VDL), a globally accredited leader in veterinary diagnostics and One Health innovation, seeks to enhance its Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) capabilities through the acquisition of an Illumina MiSeq i100 Plus system. This critical upgrade will address urgent gaps created by our aging MiSeq instrument (in service since 2013), which no longer meets the demands of our 20% annual case growth or the evolving complexity of pathogen surveillance. By modernizing our genomic infrastructure, we aim to strengthen national food safety, accelerate outbreak response, and advance antimicrobial resistance (AMR) tracking in alignment with the Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network (Vet-LIRN) and One Health priorities.