We are highlighting a new perspective article by Prof. Dr. Dr. Alex van Belkum, IVD Strategy Lead at ShanX Medtech BV, titled “Next generation sequencing as a panacea for antibiotic susceptibility testing: yea or nay?” The article critically examines the role of genotypic AST (gAST) and high-throughput sequencing in clinical microbiology, outlining both their potential and the key technical, analytical, and implementation challenges that remain as the field moves toward genomics-driven diagnostics. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1650925/full