NextGenAMR — a product by Vanguard Biotech Systems
Reviewable genomic evidence for antimicrobial resistance workflows.
NextGenAMR processes supported WGS data from bacterial isolates, organises the analysis, preserves provenance, and turns evidence, warnings and abstentions into outputs designed for professional review.
Controlled preview · Validation in progress · Not a replacement for phenotypic AST or autonomous clinical decision-making.
In one look
- What goes in
- The input is whole-genome sequencing (paired-end FASTQ) of cultured bacterial isolates within the supported scope.
- What it does
- Vanguard Biotech Systems develops NextGenAMR, a bioinformatics software platform that processes supported WGS data from bacterial isolates within its published scope, organises genomic evidence related to antimicrobial resistance, preserves run-level provenance and generates outputs for professional review. NextGenAMR is currently undergoing controlled evaluation and validation. It is not presented as an autonomous diagnostic system, a replacement for phenotypic AST or a tool that selects treatments.
- What comes out
- Each run preserves provenance and execution metadata and produces structured, auditable outputs for professional review (JSON and PDF).
- Who reviews it
- NextGenAMR is not presented as an autonomous diagnostic system; it organises genomic evidence and generates outputs for professional review.
- What state it is in
- NextGenAMR is a functional platform in controlled preview. Validation is ongoing, and the product is not presented as an autonomous diagnostic or treatment-decision system.
Who takes part
- Operational users who run analyses within the supported scope.
- An administering or sponsoring institution that sets up and governs the evaluation.
- Professional reviewers (microbiology / bioinformatics) who interpret outputs together with other tests.
- Institutional IT / security / leadership who evaluate governance, security and deployment.
Inputs & scope
- WGS — paired-end FASTQImplementedAvailable for evaluation
Whole-genome sequencing (paired-end FASTQ) of cultured bacterial isolates within the supported, versioned scope. File intake for an evaluation happens only through a controlled channel agreed with VBS — never the web form.
- Operational species
- Escherichia coli
- Panel
- 9
- Version
- 2026.07.0 · 2026-07-15
The current published operational scope is Escherichia coli, with a closed, species-specific panel of 9 antibiotics. NextGenAMR is species-specific by design and built to expand; additional species are in internal development and are not yet available.
The scope is defined and versioned. Files for an evaluation are received only through a controlled channel agreed with VBS. The contact form never accepts samples, sequences, genomic files, identifiers or patient data.
Full scope & version →From input to reviewable output
- 01Controlled intake of a supported input
- 02Bioinformatics processing & AMR-evidence organisation
- 03Quality, scope checks, warnings, abstention & provenance
- 04Reviewable outputs + professional review
A look at the product
Demonstration generated from real bacterial sample data during internal testing with the current version of NextGenAMR. The content illustrates product outputs and does not by itself constitute a clinical validation result or treatment recommendation.
| Antibiotic | Status | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Amoxicillin–clavulanic acid | Probable resistance | blaTEM-1B |
| Ampicillin | Probable resistance | blaTEM-1B |
| Ciprofloxacin | Probable resistance | gyrA S83L · parC S80I |
| Ceftazidime | Probable susceptibility | no ESBL markers |
| Gentamicin | Probable susceptibility | — |
| Meropenem | Probable susceptibility | no carbapenemase |
| Nitrofurantoin | Probable susceptibility | — |
| Piperacillin–tazobactam | Probable susceptibility | — |
| Trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole | Probable resistance | sul1 · dfrA17 |
- AMR genes7
- Point mutations3
- Plasmid replicons2
- Mean coverage82×
- pipeline · ngamr-core@0.4.2
- db · card-2025.09 · resfinder-2025.10
- operator · lab.ops/41
- started · 2026-06-19 09:14 UTC
- Low-coverage region flagged for review.
- Result reviewed — no out-of-scope call emitted.
What you are looking at
- 01Input: the supported bacterial WGS analysed within the published scope.
- 02Evidence: per antibiotic, a calibrated probability — never a categorical S/I/R.
- 03Warnings & abstentions: shown where evidence or quality is insufficient.
- 04Provenance: how the result was produced, preserved and reviewable.
- 05The system does not make an autonomous clinical decision.
Outputs
- Structured result (JSON)ImplementedAvailable for evaluation
A machine-readable, structured result is generated per run. Its visibility in the interface and download availability are confirmed during an evaluation.
- PDF reportImplementedAvailable for evaluation
A PDF report is generated per run for professional review. Availability across releases and runs is confirmed during an evaluation.
- Evidence, warnings & abstentionsImplementedIn the demonstration
Per antibiotic in the supported panel, the output organises resistance-related evidence as a calibrated probability (never a categorical S/I/R decision), with warnings, and abstains where evidence or quality is insufficient. Abstention is a control property, not a failure.
- Run provenanceImplementedAvailable for evaluation
Each run preserves its provenance (versions, databases, execution metadata) so an output can be traced back to how it was produced.
What it is designed to help with
- Consolidating a fragmented, multi-step workflow into one governed process.
- Reproducibility, provenance and version control.
- Normalised, consistent outputs designed for structured review.
- Auditability of how each output was produced.
It does not promise faster treatment, reduced mortality, cost savings or lower workload — those require approved measurements that are not yet reported.
What NextGenAMR does not do
- Does not replace phenotypic AST (antibiogram).
- Does not make autonomous clinical decisions.
- Does not prescribe or select treatments.
- Absence of a detected marker does not guarantee susceptibility.
- Must not be used outside the published scope.
- The contact form does not accept samples, sequences, files, identifiers or patient data.
- A demonstration based on a real analysis is not, by itself, a completed clinical validation.
Security, deployment & integration
- Access controlImplementedAvailable for evaluation
The platform runs with access control on an institution/role model, not general self-service access.
- Run provenance & audit trailImplementedAvailable for evaluation
Runs preserve provenance and execution metadata, supporting an auditable, reviewable trail.
- Environment separationImplementedAvailable for evaluation
Development, staging and production run in separate, isolated AWS accounts.
- Rate limitingImplementedUsed internally
Request rate limiting is in place at the platform layer.
- VBS-operated cloudImplementedAvailable for evaluation
VBS currently operates the product on its own cloud infrastructure, suitable for a controlled institutional evaluation.
- Application API (internal)ImplementedUsed internally
The product has an internal API that serves its web and mobile interfaces. A public or institutional API is a separate matter, discussed during an evaluation.
- Institutional rolesImplementedAvailable for evaluation
The platform distinguishes institutional participants — operational users, an administering/sponsoring institution, and professional reviewers — rather than a single person who buys, administers, validates and uses the product.
Only verified controls are shown, with their state. Advanced authentication, other deployment models (on-premise / hybrid / managed) and institutional integrations (LIMS, SSO, webhooks) are not published as available — they are assessed during an institutional fit review.
Security & deployment →Validation
NextGenAMR is currently undergoing controlled evaluation and internal, non-clinical validation. Validation results have not been published and must not be inferred.
No clinical performance metrics (sensitivity, specificity, categorical agreement, VME/ME, accuracy) have been published. Performance evaluation is in progress.
Evidence & validation status →Is there a fit for your organisation?
There may be a fit if you…
- · work with WGS of bacterial isolates within the supported scope
- · need reproducible, traceable processing
- · want reviewable outputs for professional interpretation
- · are willing to run a controlled evaluation with professional review
There is no immediate fit if you need…
- · an autonomous diagnosis or treatment recommendation
- · compatibility outside the published scope
- · general self-service access without an evaluation
- · to upload sensitive data through the website
Questions institutions ask
Are the demonstrations real?
Demonstration generated from real bacterial sample data during internal testing with the current version of NextGenAMR. The content illustrates product outputs and does not by itself constitute a clinical validation result or treatment recommendation.
Does it replace AST?
NextGenAMR does not replace phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Genomic outputs must be interpreted together with AST, microbiological context and applicable procedures.
Does absence of a marker mean susceptibility?
For each antibiotic in scope, the model output is an estimate of the calibrated probability of resistance — never a categorical susceptible/intermediate/resistant (S/I/R) result.
How do we start an evaluation?
The scope is defined and versioned. Files for an evaluation are received only through a controlled channel agreed with VBS. The contact form never accepts samples, sequences, genomic files, identifiers or patient data.
What is its regulatory posture?
Vanguard Biotech Systems does not currently make regulatory-authorisation or autonomous-clinical-use claims for NextGenAMR. Intended use and regulatory strategy will be assessed as the product evolves.