Press Releases

NEWARK, Calif.-- In this free webinar, learn about transposase-mediated genome engineering, genetic quality control and ensuring the genetic stability of orthogonal transposons in the generation of cell lines with Leap-In Transposase® technology.

Discover a groundbreaking webinar delving into transposase-mediated genome engineering, genetic quality control (QC) and stability of orthogonal transposons in the generation of cell lines with Leap-In Transposase® technology. Genes encoding biotherapeutic proteins can stably be introduced into mammalian genomes by several different approaches. The transposon-based platform avoids major challenges presented by random integration or viral-based delivery systems.

Here the experts from ATUM will demonstrate how they can use the Leap-In Transposase® technology to genetically engineer Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO) cells multiple times to manipulate and control their expression profile. By sequentially using three different and orthogonal Leap-In Transposase® enzymes, they have generated a panel of CHO cell lines where they modulate their metabolism to aid selection, integrate a biotherapeutic protein and modify its glycosylation profile to produce stable and high-expressing cell lines with a desired product quality attributes.

To ensure that each transposon is integrated correctly and to demonstrate its orthogonality, they have performed genetic QC by means of Targeted Locus Amplification (TLA) coupled with next-generation sequencing (NGS). This allowed for the identification and genetic characterization of all integration sites of each transposon. Furthermore, by comparing the TLA data of different timepoints they were able to evaluate the genetic stability and integrity of the transposons.

Join this webinar to learn about transposase-mediated genome engineering, genetic quality control and ensuring the genetic stability of orthogonal transposons in the generation of cell lines with Leap-In Transposase® technology.

Join Maya Wright Clark, PhD, Sales and Account Manager, Cergentis; and Mário Pereira, Director of Technologies and Business Development, ATUM, for the live webinar on Thursday, November 9, 2023, at 10am EST (4pm CET/EU-Central).

ABOUT XTALKS

Xtalks, powered by Honeycomb Worldwide Inc., is a leading provider of educational webinars to the global life science, food and medical device community. Every year, thousands of industry practitioners (from life science, food and medical device companies, private & academic research institutions, healthcare centers, etc.) turn to Xtalks for access to quality content. Xtalks helps Life Science professionals stay current with industry developments, trends and regulations. Xtalks webinars also provide perspectives on key issues from top industry thought leaders and service providers.

To learn more about Xtalks visit http://xtalks.com For information about hosting a webinar visit http://xtalks.com/why-host-a-webinar/

Contact

Vera Kovacevic
Tel: +1 (416) 977-6555 x371

Announces Initiation of Clinical Study of ANG003 in People with Cystic Fibrosis
NEWARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ATUM, a global specialist and industry leader in bioengineering solutions, today announced an expanded partnership with Anagram Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the lives of people with cystic fibrosis (CF) and other rare diseases. The expanded relationship follows a successful partnership that accelerated delivery of ANG003 into a clinical study recently initiated in people with cystic fibrosis.

Together, the companies aim to advance a pipeline of orally delivered enzymes targeting malabsorption syndromes and nutrient metabolism disorders, by combining ATUM’s expertise in enzyme engineering, bioanalytics, and machine learning with Anagram’s expertise in gastrointestinal physiology and enzyme development, as well as its global clinical and scientific thought leader network.

"We are excited by the initiation of the ANG003 clinical study, an enzyme replacement therapy engineered using our multidimensional optimization GPS platform" said Claes Gustafsson, Chief Commercial Officer at ATUM. "The bioengineering platform combines systematic variance and machine learning to efficiently search almost infinite sequence space in many fitness dimensions simultaneously using only a few hundred samples. It has been an honor to work closely with the Anagram team to harness this technology for the purpose of addressing malabsorption and nutrient metabolism disorders."

The first participants have been dosed in the multicenter, randomized, parallel Phase 1 study to evaluate the safety and tolerability of orally administered ANG003 in adult subjects with CF-related exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI). Additionally, the study aims to demonstrate absorption of the byproducts of digestion in plasma using sensitive biomarkers of absorption. The study design includes up to four possible combinations of orally delivered lipase, protease, and amylase administered with a test meal. A series of robust preclinical studies suggest ANG003 may improve absorption of the most beneficial fats and other key macronutrients in a dose dependent manner. This Phase 1 trial of ANG003 is being conducted through the Cystic Fibrosis Therapeutics Development Network at approximately twenty national CF care centers in the U.S.

ANG003 is a novel broad-spectrum orally delivered enzyme replacement therapy for the treatment of malabsorption and EPI. EPI is a condition which occurs when the body does not produce enough pancreatic (digestive) enzymes to break down foods and absorb nutrients. EPI can lead to malnutrition, fatty acid abnormalities, profound gastrointestinal symptoms, a significant decrease in quality of life and reduced life expectancy.

"We are pleased to have rapidly advanced ANG003 into the clinic, representing a big step toward providing a meaningful new treatment for people living with cystic fibrosis,”" said Robert Gallotto, President and Chief Executive Officer, Anagram Therapeutics. "Initiating this clinical study and dosing the first patient is a significant milestone, as we continue to evolve orally delivered enzymes as therapeutics for malabsorption and nutrient metabolism disorders."

About ATUM

ATUM is a fully integrated California based CRDO (Contract Research & Development Organization) biotechnology industry leader. ATUM, over the last two decades, has served life science researchers by delivering the highest quality services including but not limited to Gene Design and Gene Synthesis, Protein Engineering, Protein Production, Leap-In Transposase®, Cell Line Development, and Master Cell Banking (MCB). With a state-of-the-art machine learning platform, proprietary algorithms and thanks to its fully integrated Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), ATUM takes you from virtual sequence to MCB with a click of a button. ATUM provides a continual commitment to innovation where services are built on bioengineered solutions to bring speed to market, supporting you from pre-clinical research through IND and beyond. Contact us today for more information at www.atum.bio. or follow us on LinkedIn

About Anagram Therapeutics

Anagram Therapeutics Inc. is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel, orally delivered enzyme therapeutics for the treatment of serious diseases caused by malabsorption syndromes and nutrient metabolism disorders that prevent the body from properly processing or absorbing certain fats, sugars, proteins, vitamins, or other key nutrients. The company is leveraging proprietary enzyme technologies and expertise in gastrointestinal diseases to solve complex problems and advance a pipeline of products that can make a life-changing impact for people and their families living with cystic fibrosis and other rare diseases. ANG003, Anagram’s lead product for the treatment of malabsorption and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, is a new class of broad-spectrum digestive enzyme replacement therapy in clinical trials in people with cystic fibrosis. Anagram is a privately held company headquartered in Framingham, MA. To learn more, visit www.anagramtx.com or follow us on LinkedIn and X.

Anagram Contact

Kathryn Kilroy
Director, Operations
(617) 466-3823

ATUM Contact

Cheryl Sturgis
Head of Marketing
(510) 903-2301

Media Contact

Gina Cella
Cella Communications
(781) 799-3137 (mobile)

NEWARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ATUM, a global specialist and industry leader in bioengineering solutions, today announced that it has been awarded the prestigious Silver Medal rating from EcoVadis, the world’s most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings. This milestone is the first year ATUM has been recognized by EcoVadis and places the company in the top 15% (85th percentile) of companies rated by EcoVadis in the Scientific Research and Development industry. Among all companies rated by EcoVadis, ATUM ranks at the 74th percentile globally.

"At ATUM, we are immensely proud to be recognized with the EcoVadis Silver Medal rating, which underscores our unwavering dedication to sustainability, diversity, equity, and business ethics," said Jeremy Minshull, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of ATUM. "This achievement is a testament to our exceptional team's relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation in the biotechnology industry, all while upholding the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility. We believe that true progress is defined not only by scientific advancements but also by the positive impact we can make on our planet and for the people who inhabit it."

Each year, EcoVadis evaluates 21 separate sustainability criteria across four core themes: Environment, Labor & Health Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement. EcoVadis’ business sustainability ratings are based on international standards such as the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact, the International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards, and the ISO 26000 standard. The ratings provide an evidence-based analysis on performance and an actional roadmap for continuous improvement. More than 85,000 companies globally have been rated by EcoVadis.

"It is my mission to promote and expand the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives at ATUM, reinforcing our dedication to corporate social responsibility. We are developing a roadmap, aligned with the Science-Based Targets initiative, which will guide our commitment to significantly reduce our carbon footprint and ultimately achieve net-zero emissions," said Joseph Higdon, Director of Facilities and Sustainability at ATUM. "Through the EcoVadis assessment, our ESG committee is proud to showcase ATUM’s deep commitment to our employees, customers, and the global community"

About ATUM

ATUM is a fully integrated Californian based CRDO (Contract Research & Development Organization) biotechnology industry leader. ATUM, over the last two decades, has served life science researchers by delivering the highest quality services including but not limited to Gene Design and Gene Synthesis, Protein Engineering, Protein Production, Leap-In Transposase®, Cell Line Development, and Master Cell Banking (MCB). With a state-of-the-art machine learning platform, proprietary algorithms and thanks to its fully integrated Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), ATUM takes you from virtual sequence to MCB with a click of a button. ATUM provides a continual commitment to innovation where services are built on bioengineered solutions to bring speed to market, supporting you from pre-clinical research through IND and beyond. Contact us today for more information at www.atum.bio.

Contacts

Cheryl Sturgis
Head of Marketing

In this free webinar, learn about using AI and machine learning in the engineering of biologics, from discovery to manufacturing. Attendees will learn about a unique AI-based platform and its application in engineering of protein therapeutics. The featured speaker will discuss the integration of machine learning tools and empirical measurement in a unique protein engineering platform.

https://www.prweb.com/releases/utilizing_ai_to_engineer_biologics_from_discovery_to_manufacturing_upcoming_webinar_hosted_by_xtalks/prweb19460261.htm

NEWARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ATUM, a global specialist and industry leader in bioengineering solutions, today announced the signing of a full licensing agreement for the Leap-In Transposase® technology with Codiak BioSciences, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering the development of exosome-based therapeutics, a new class of medicines.

Under the terms of the agreement, ATUM will provide Codiak access to its Leap-In Transposase® technology to generate mammalian cells expressing exosomes engineered to deliver therapeutic payloads. The Leap-In technology is an integrated solution combining proprietary re-coding algorithms, unique genetic vector elements as well as a transposon-based mechanism for efficient insertion of genetically stable elements into the genome.

Scott Estes, Ph.D., VP of Cell Line Development at Codiak, said, "Through years of rigorous research and clinical validation we have created a platform for engineering and manufacturing therapeutic exosomes with various payloads on the surface or inside the lumen. We believe ATUM’s transposase technology has the potential to effectively synergize with Codiak’s engEx® Platform to further enhance loading these vesicles, making them more potent and reducing cost of goods."

Claes Gustafsson, Ph.D., Chief Commercial Officer and Co-Founder at ATUM, commented, "Exosomes are bio vesicles that have the potential to fundamentally change drug delivery. We are proud and excited to license the Leap-In Transposase® technology to Codiak for the engineering of cell lines that enables rapid and robust production of exosomes."

About Codiak

Codiak is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering the development of exosome-based therapeutics, a new class of medicines with the potential to transform the treatment of a wide spectrum of diseases with high unmet medical need. By leveraging the biology of exosomes as natural intercellular transfer mechanisms, Codiak has developed its proprietary engEx® Platform to expand upon the innate properties of exosomes to design, engineer and manufacture novel exosome therapeutic candidates. Codiak has utilized its engEx® Platform to generate a deep pipeline of engineered exosomes aimed at treating a broad range of disease areas, spanning oncology, infectious disease and rare disease.

About Leap-In Transposase® Technology

The Leap-In Transposase® technology rapidly catalyzes the stable integration of genes into a target genome. Genes are integrated as multiple independent copies with structural integrity perfectly maintained, allowing for a perfect correlation between the in silico design and the final mammalian genome. ATUM’s Leap-In Transposase® technology is protected by over a dozen pending and issued patents.

About ATUM

ATUM is a fully integrated California based CRDO (Contract Research & Development Organization) biotechnology industry leader. ATUM, over the last two decades, has served life science researchers by delivering the highest quality services including but not limited to Gene Design and Gene Synthesis, Protein Engineering, Protein Production, Leap-In Transposase®, Cell Line Development, and Master Cell Banking (MCB). With a state-of-the-art machine learning platform, proprietary algorithms and thanks to its fully integrated Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), ATUM takes you from virtual sequence to MCB with a click of a button. ATUM provides a continual commitment to innovation where services are built on bioengineered solutions to bring speed to market, supporting you from pre-clinical research through IND and beyond. Contact us today for more information at www.atum.bio.

Contacts

Cheryl Sturgis
Head of Marketing

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230124005425/en/ATUM-Announces-Leap-In-Transposase%C2%AE-Licensing-Agreement-with-Codiak-Biosciences-to-Support-Manufacturing-of-Exosome-Based-Therapeutics

OKLAHOMA CITY, Nov. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wheeler Bio, Inc., a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) specializing in the development and manufacturing of mammalian-expressed protein therapeutics, today announced it has been granted a license to ATUM's proprietary Leap-In Transposase® and miCHO™ cell line development technology.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wheeler-bio-licenses-atums-proprietary-leap-in-transposase-technology-in-support-of-its-disruptive-cdmo-service-offering-301689682.html

NEWARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ATUM, a California-based bioengineering company, today announced the launch of its Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP)-compliant Master Cell Banking production services. This new capability enables ATUM to provide an end-to-end cell line development solution, from DNA design through Master Cell Bank (MCB) and Working Cell Bank (WCB) release, supporting Investigational New Drug (IND) applications.

"ATUM is pleased to add fully integrated cGMP-compliant cell banking to our market-leading cell line development platform," said Jeremy Minshull, PhD, Chief Executive Officer at ATUM. "Our goal is to provide our global base of customers with a streamlined process to fully support their regulatory filings."

ATUM’s California-based facility provides uninterrupted operation and offers cell banking from CHO-derived cell lines. The facility comprises a dedicated ISO 7 and ISO 8-classified manufacturing suite with multiple qualified ISO 5-classified working spaces with controlled access. Every customer project is managed under the industry guidelines for 21CFR Parts 210 and 211/1271, ISO 14644-1, ICH Q5D and ICH Q7.

"This is an exciting new development for ATUM that builds on the success of our Leap-In Transposase platform and is an important step in our evolution as a leading provider of regulatory-grade services to the global biotechnology industry," said Claes Gustafsson, PhD Chief Commercial Officer at ATUM. "Our facilities are fully compliant with GMP standards and are managed by a growing team of quality assurance experts who monitor operations and each client’s unique requirements."

ATUM’s Leap-In Transposase platform complements the new cell banking solutions and enables rapid, robust, and efficient manufacturing of high-quality protein pharmaceuticals. The Leap-In platform has already been licensed by the majority of the global top 20 pharmaceutical companies and to date has enabled 16 IND applications to be filed and approved by regulatory authorities in three jurisdictions, with many more approvals expected within the next few months.

About ATUM

ATUM offers an integrated pipeline of tools including gene design, optimization and synthesis, expression vectors, and platforms for protein and cellular engineering and production. The company exploits the dependence of biological activity on well-designed sequences. ATUM’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. By collaborating with our clients, ATUM accelerates breakthroughs and moves research further faster. For more information please visit: www.atum.bio.

Contacts

Colin Sanford

NEWARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ATUM today announced a distribution partnership with Trio Biotech, Co Ltd. (TrioBio) to market and promote ATUM’s unique Leap-In Transposase® platform in China. ATUM’s Leap-In platform offers bioengineering solutions for efficient cell line development, genome engineering, and robust production of pharmaceutical biologics.

TrioBio is well established in China as the premier distributor of life science tools and instruments to facilitate cell imaging, clonality validation, and automated cell plating and tracking. With locations in Shanghai and Beijing and deep expertise in cell line development, TrioBio is poised to bring the Leap-In Transposase platform to Chinese pharmaceutical companies seeking support in their manufacturing of protein pharmaceuticals, viral drug delivery vehicles, and cell-based drugs.

The global biologics pharmaceutical market is rapidly approaching a quarter of a trillion USD per year, with China being one of the fastest growing geographies. Despite the success of biologics as drugs, building and engineering mammalian cell lines producing these pharmaceuticals is a significant manufacturing bottleneck adding time and cost to the production process. ATUM’s Leap-In Transposase platform enables rapid, robust, and efficient manufacturing of high-quality protein pharmaceuticals. The Leap-In platform has already been licensed by a majority of the top 20 global pharmaceutical companies and, as of today, has enabled 16 Investigational New Drug (IND) Applications to be filed and approved by three regulatory authorities, with many more approvals expected within the next few months. Authorities that have approved Leap-In-enabled INDs include the Chinese National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"We are excited to bring ATUM’s innovative biomanufacturing approaches to China through TrioBio," said Jeremy Minshull, Ph.D., CEO and cofounder of ATUM," The protein therapeutics manufacturing market in China represents a significant opportunity for ATUM. TrioBio’s outstanding customer-centered reputation makes them the natural choice as ATUM’s partner to provide services and support tailored to Chinese manufacturing needs."

About ATUM

ATUM offers an integrated pipeline of tools including gene design, optimization and synthesis, expression vectors, and platforms for protein and cellular engineering and production. The company exploits the dependence of biological activity on well-designed sequences. ATUM’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. By collaborating with our clients, ATUM accelerates breakthroughs and moves research further faster. For more information please visit: www.atum.bio.

About TrioBio

TrioBio is a China-based distributor with offices in Shanghai and Beijing. Continuously we strive to provide local customers with cutting-edge instrumentations and professional services in the field of life sciences. We focus on the biopharmaceutical market and maintain long-term cooperative relationships with clients. For more information please visit: www.trio-biotech.com.

Contacts

Colin Sanford

Partners aim to provide potent neutralizing antibodies for COVID-19 pandemic response

  • Promising COVID-19 treatment being developed with equitable global access as a central goal.
  • Approach that is complementary to future COVID-19 vaccines.
  • Leverages each partner’s significant expertise, geographic footprint, and infrastructure.
  • Unique among ongoing partnerships for COVID-19 monoclonal antibodies, aims to ensure access to a class of innovative therapies that have, to date, been out of reach in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

October 22, 2020--PUNE, India & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, IAVI, a nonprofit scientific research organization dedicated to addressing urgent, unmet global health challenges, and Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of vaccines and biologics, announced an agreement with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, to develop SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) co-invented by IAVI and Scripps Research as innovative interventions to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

The agreement builds on the advanced antibody discovery and optimization expertise of IAVI and Scripps Research, gained from years of experience in HIV broadly neutralizing antibody research and development, and on Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany’s and Serum Institute’s significant capabilities in design and scale up of accelerated manufacturing processes for mAb production. The global development plan is being led by the three organizations in partnership.

The two companies have broad networks across complementary geographic areas that will be crucial to reach given the worldwide spread of COVID-19. If the highly potent and broadly cross-reactive SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody candidates being advanced through this partnership are shown to be efficacious in clinical trials, either as a single antibody or a potential combination of both candidates, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany will lead commercialization in developed countries. Serum Institute has a proven track record of more than 50 years in developing affordable medicines and is the world’s largest producer of vaccines. Serum Institute will lead global manufacturing as well as commercialization in low- and middle-low-income countries, including India.

"We’re acutely aware of the tremendous potential for monoclonal antibodies to be used in COVID-19 response. By combining the scientific achievements of IAVI and Scripps Research with our partners’ development, manufacturing, and distribution expertise, we are hopeful that this partnership will result in globally accessible antibodies that are available to all who can benefit from them," said Mark Feinberg, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of IAVI.

Belén Garijo, vice chair of the executive board and deputy CEO, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, as well as CEO Healthcare, said, "Together with IAVI and Serum Institute, we look forward to demonstrating the potential application of these monoclonal antibodies in the management of COVID-19. We share a common purpose to accelerate this promising science and deliver effective solutions that address global challenges presented by this pandemic."

"I am extremely pleased that we have joined forces with IAVI and Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany in the fight against COVID-19 with the aim of developing monoclonal antibodies for global access. Given the breadth and scale of our technology and our long-standing devotion to improving health especially in low-income countries, I am confident that we and our partners are on a productive path that will lead to a much-needed, globally available tool for COVID-19 treatment and possibly prevention," said Adar Poonawalla, CEO, Serum Institute.

Neutralizing mAbs against SARS-CoV-2 are widely considered to be promising candidates for COVID-19 treatment and prevention.1,2 Encouraging results for COVID-19 antibody treatment have emerged from preclinical research3 and from initial clinical trials.4,5 Not only are innovative therapies such as SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies urgently needed for immediate pandemic response, they will likely also continue to be needed even after an effective vaccine is available. mAbs have the potential to play an important complementary role to COVID-19 vaccines both for treatment and potentially for prevention, especially for those individuals who, due to age or medical conditions, may not benefit from vaccination. Given that many experts speculate that COVID-19 will become an endemic, or permanently circulating, disease6,7, and given the severity of symptoms in a significant proportion of people affected, effective therapies will be necessary to treat those who remain unvaccinated or whom vaccination does not protect.

Scientists at IAVI’s Neutralizing Antibody Center (NAC) based at Scripps Research, along with fellow immunologists at Scripps Research, were part of a team that identified antibodies from the blood of recovered COVID-19 patients that are capable of potently neutralizing SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Animals that received these neutralizing antibodies were protected against disease after challenge with SARS-CoV-2. The results were published in Science in June 2020. The portfolio of mAbs identified by IAVI and Scripps Research scientists and their partners provides the foundation for a comprehensive program with potential application to COVID-19 treatment and prevention as well as to other coronaviruses that may arise or re-emerge in the future.

Dennis Burton, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at Scripps Research and scientific director of the IAVI NAC said, "The accelerated discovery of highly potent SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies by IAVI and Scripps Research scientists was achieved by a tremendous collaborative effort of a team committed to translating state-of-the-art monoclonal antibody science into public health interventions that we all hope will have an important role in ameliorating the individual and societal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic."

Under IAVI’s agreement with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and Serum Institute, the partners will conduct an accelerated, integrated program of preclinical and clinical research to evaluate the antibodies for treatment of COVID-19. A Phase I clinical trial is expected to start early in 2021. Should the mAb candidates being developed be shown to be safe and efficacious, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and Serum Institute will help ensure that the therapy is rapidly and widely available and accessible.

Joining the partners in this development effort are two highly regarded companies with unique capabilities. Syngene International Ltd., based in Bengaluru, India, is Asia's largest contract research and manufacturing organization. Through their innovation-focused research and development capabilities they are a collaborating partner for the development and conduct of assays to support clinical development of the SARS-CoV-2 mAb candidates. ATUM, a California-based bioengineering company, has utilized its Leap-In Transposase® Platform to develop stable cell lines needed for the manufacture of the SARS-CoV-2 antibody candidates being advanced via this collaboration. This effort is enabling the rapid and robust transition from research to clinical development.

IAVI recently published a global call to action, commissioned by Wellcome, that highlights the lack of equitable access to mAbs in LMICs. The publication proposes a set of actions that could solve the access problem, including a call for global health players to form innovative partnerships to address the need for affordable mAbs worldwide. The collaboration among IAVI, Serum Institute of India, and Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany is the kind of innovative partnership identified in the call to action that could set an important precedent for enabling affordable access to SARS-CoV-2 mAbs in LMICs and potentially be applied more widely to mAbs for a range of infectious and non-communicable diseases.

About Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 57,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From advancing gene editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2019, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, generated sales of € 16.2 billion in 66 countries.

The company holds the global rights to the name and trademark “Merck” internationally. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Performance Materials. Since its founding 1668, scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to the company’s technological and scientific advances. To this day, the founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company.

About Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd.

Serum Institute is now the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by number of doses produced and sold globally (more than 1.3 billion doses). Vaccines manufactured by Serum Institute are accredited by the World Health Organization and are being used in around 170 countries across the globe in their national immunization programs, saving millions of lives throughout the world.

Serum Institute is developing biosimilars of existing antibody immunotherapies for a range of diseases, and in 2017 launched a novel monoclonal antibody against rabies.

Contacts

IAVI Media

Karie Youngdahl
Phone: +1 212 847 1051

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany Media

Gangolf Schrimpf
Phone: +49 151 1454 959

Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. Media

Mayank Sen
Phone: +919867974055

  • License agreement provides Rentschler Biopharma full access to ATUM’s Leap-InTransposase® cell line development (CLD) tools
  • Technology will be integrated into Rentschler Biopharma’s in-house process with a fast, cost-effective, and stable platform to complement existing CLD offering

Laupheim, Germany; Milford, MA, and Newark, CA, USA, October 14, 2020 - Rentschler Biopharma SE, a leading global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for biopharmaceuticals, and ATUM, a global specialist and industry leader in synthetic biology solutions, today announced the signing of a full CDMO licensing agreement for the Leap-In Transposase® platform.

Under the terms of the agreement, ATUM will provide Rentschler Biopharma full access to its Leap-In Transposase® platform. The technology platform is an integrated solution combining proprietary re-coding algorithms, unique genetic vector elements as well as a transposon-based mechanism for efficient insertion of genetically stable elements into the genome. The platform is particularly well suited for the production of standard antibodies as well as complex, multichain (e.g., 3+ chains) therapeutic proteins, such as bispecific monoclonal antibodies. ATUM’s technology will strategically enhance Rentschler Biopharma’s cell line development services and capabilities and complement the existing service offered via the CDMO’s strategic partner network.

With this new collaboration, Rentschler Biopharma and ATUM will be able to offer an additional service that will rapidly and robustly produce stable, high titer manufacturing cell lines, thereby supporting a growing number of organizations in moving their promising biopharmaceuticals to the market faster and with lower manufacturing risk than using alternative strategies. ATUM’s Leap-In Transposase® platform will complement Rentschler Biopharma’s recently implemented CHO GS KO platform for difficult-to-express proteins by providing innovative and tailored solutions to translate complex medical research into outstanding biopharmaceuticals. Rentschler Biopharma’s integrated platform process will be well suited for high-quality protein expression and allow clients access to further robust and flexible approaches to designer protein therapeutics.

"At Rentschler Biopharma, we are always looking for innovative solutions across the entire value chain – from concept to market – by establishing strategic and valuable partnerships. We are excited to combine our knowledge and in-house cell line development process with the deep expertise of ATUM, an industry leader in synthetic biology solutions for over a decade," commented Dr. Frank Mathias, CEO of Rentschler Biopharma. "We want the best for our clients, and with the addition of ATUM’s transformative Leap-In Transposase® platform to our current service portfolio, we will be able to further support our clients in the development and production of complex next-generation biotherapeutics."

"Rentschler Biopharma and ATUM share a long-term, strong commitment to innovation and excellence," said Dr. Jeremy Minshull, CEO of ATUM. "The Leap-In Transposase® technology is revolutionizing cell line development for simple as well as complex (multi-chain) therapeutic proteins and will provide Rentschler Biopharma stable, high-yield cell lines in very rapid timeframes. This capability adds another important instrument to their portfolio to accelerate time-to-market while maintaining product quality and reliability. We look forward to working with Rentschler Biopharma to support clients who are developing a wide variety of novel molecules."

About Rentschler Biopharma SE

Rentschler Biopharma is a leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), focused exclusively on client projects. From its headquarters in Laupheim, Germany, and its site in Milford, MA, USA, Rentschler Biopharma offers process development and manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals as well as related consulting activities, including project management and regulatory support. Rentschler Biopharma's high quality is proven by its longstanding experience and excellence as a solution partner for its clients. A high-level quality management system, a well-established operational excellence philosophy and advanced technologies ensure product quality and productivity at each development and manufacturing step. In order to offer optimal solutions across the entire value chain, the company has entered into a strategic alliance with Leukocare AG for formulation development. Rentschler Biopharma is a family-owned company with about 1,000 employees.
For further information, please visit: www.rentschler-biopharma.com. Follow Rentschler Biopharma on LinkedIn and Facebook.

About ATUM

ATUM offers an integrated pipeline of tools including gene design, optimization and synthesis, expression vectors, and platforms for protein and cellular engineering and production. The company exploits the dependence of biological activity on well-designed sequences. ATUM's tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. By collaborating with our clients, ATUM accelerates breakthroughs and moves research further faster.
For more information please visit: www.atum.bio

About ATUM’s Leap-In Transposase® Technology

The Leap-In Transposase® rapidly catalyses the stable integration of genes into a target genome. Genes are integrated as multiple independent copies with structural integrity perfectly maintained. This greatly reduces the screening burden required compared with slower, more traditional "random integration" methods where the introduced DNA is randomly fragmented and often rearranged. ATUM’s Leap-In technology is protected by over a dozen pending and issued patents.
For more information please visit: www.atum.bio/pipeline/cld.

For further information from ATUM please contact:

Colin Sanford for ATUM
Phone: +1-203-918-4347

For further information from Rentschler Biopharma SE please contact:

Dr. Cora Kaiser
Senior Director Corporate Communication
Phone: +49-7392-701-874

Media inquiries:

MC Services AG
Eva Bauer
Phone: +49-89-210228-0

U.S.
Laurie Doyle
Phone: +1-339-832-0752

For high res images please contact communications@rentschler-biopharma.com or colin@bioscribe.com.

NEWARK, Calif. and DEL MAR, Calif., June 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ATUM and Phylex BioSciences have entered into a collaboration to leverage ATUM's Leap-In Transposase® platform to develop the cell line essential to the manufacturing of Phylex's universal SARS coronavirus vaccine candidate. The Phylex vaccine candidate aims to protect people against SARS-CoV-2 and other highly pathogenic SARS coronaviruses that may follow in the future.

The Phylex vaccine candidate antigen contains conserved epitopes close to the receptor-binding domain of the SARS coronavirus S-protein. A large number of copies of this antigen are displayed on a virus-like particle (VLP). This VLP, expressed by a single gene, self-assembles after being secreted by the cell line that is being developed by ATUM.

"We are extremely pleased to announce this collaboration with ATUM which we believe will accelerate the development of our universal SARS coronavirus vaccine candidate," said Pascal Brandys, co-founder and CEO of Phylex BioSciences. "ATUM's leap-in transposases and synthetic transposons enable a robust cell line development program for our universal SARS coronavirus vaccine. With this collaboration we will be able to start development in parallel with immunogenicity studies expediting our timeline to initiate clinical trials. Our objective is to offer not only a universal vaccine candidate against the SARS coronavirus by this fall, but also a clear and accelerated path to GMP-compliant manufacturing and clinical development."

"A universal coronavirus vaccine has the potential to provide an important new resource for fighting pandemic outbreaks now and in the future and we are proud to collaborate with Phylex to deliver on this vision," said Oren Beske, PhD, senior vice president of corporate strategy at ATUM. "ATUM's Leap-In platform is a rapid and robust cell line development platform that derisks the transfer, process development, scale-up and manufacturing of vaccines."

About Phylex BioSciences

Founded at the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic by genomics pioneer Pascal Brandys and coronavirus specialist Jens Herold, Phylex BioSciences is the first company to pursue the development of a universal vaccine against the SARS coronavirus. The result of antigen engineering with conserved epitopes combined with latest generation VLP technology, the vaccine is intended to protect not only against SARS-CoV-2 but also against other virulent strains of the SARS coronavirus to come. For more information please visit: www.phylexbio.com

About ATUM

ATUM offers an integrated pipeline of tools including gene design, optimization and synthesis, expression vectors, and platforms for protein and cellular engineering and production. The company exploits the dependence of biological activity on well-designed sequences. ATUM's tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. By collaborating with our clients, ATUM accelerates breakthroughs and moves research further faster. For more information please visit: www.atum.bio

SOURCE Phylex BioSciences

For further information from ATUM please contact:

Ian Taylor, CBO
T: +44 (0)1202 051813
ATUM
Claes Gustafsson, CCO
T: 1 (650) 853 8347

Bournemouth, UK and Newark, CA, USA, 20th April 2020 - Solentim, a global leader in cell line development (CLD) instrumentation, and bioengineering comp{any ATUM, today announced that Solentim will bundle access to the Leap-In Transposase® platform together with the Solentim VIPS™ single cell cloning instrument. Leap-In Transposases enable stable high titer clones to be isolated whilst screening orders of magnitude fewer clones than alternative strategies. The VIPS seeding and clonality validation system is optimized to efficiently isolate and track each high expressing clone. This new commercial agreement will enable Solentim’s customers all over the world to readily access the Leap-In Transposase technology.

"This agreement further cements our partnership with ATUM," explained Dr Ian Taylor, Chief Business Officer of Solentim. "Over the past few months, we have seen pharma customers receive the first IND approvals using Leap-In Transposase, giving confidence to other customers that Leap-In combined with the VIPS technology is a sound choice when implementing their commercial CLD workflow."

"We have fully embraced the VIPS technology from Solentim within our own company and it has become a cornerstone of our cell line development process. Solentim has been an outstanding partner to work with and we look forward to expanding our commercial success for Leap-In using their strong brand in CLD and global routes to market" commented Dr Jeremy Minshull, CEO of ATUM.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

About VIPS

VIPS™ from Solentim is a unique All-in-One instrument which performs single cell seeding into 96 well plates, verifying success by z-stack imaging of the nanolitre (nL) volume droplets, and then performing whole well imaging of the single cell for the regulatory requirements for clonally-derived MCB.

About Leap-In Transposase Technology

The Leap-In Transposase® rapidly catalyses the stable integration of genes into a target genome. Genes are integrated as multiple independent copies with structural integrity perfectly maintained. This greatly reduces the screening burden required compared with slower, more traditional "random integration" methods where the introduced DNA is randomly fragmented and often rearranged. ATUM’s Leap-In technology is protected by over a dozen pending and issued patents.

About Solentim

Solentim is the global leader in enabling accelerated cell line development for new biologic drugs through its proprietary intelligent automation. Solentim’s portfolio of products (VIPS™, Cell Metric® and Cell Metric® CLD) enables customers to establish a simple to use and completely integrated workflow, revolutionising single cell cloning and providing documented daily whole well image assurance of monoclonality for FDA and other regulatory bodies. Solentim works with most of the world’s top 10 pharmaceutical companies and has a customer installed base of several hundred instruments. In 2018, Solentim was the recipient of two highly prestigious Queen’s Awards and named in the Deloitte UK Technology Fast 50. Visit www.solentim.com for more information.

About ATUM

ATUM offers an integrated pipeline of tools including gene design, optimization and synthesis, expression vectors, and platforms for protein and strain engineering and production. ATUM exploits the dependence of biological activity on well-designed sequences. ATUM’s tools and solutions are fuelling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. By collaborating with our clients, ATUM accelerates breakthroughs and moves research further faster.

For further information, contact:

Corporate Contacts:

Solentim Ltd
Ian Taylor, CBO
T: +44 (0)1202 051813
ATUM
Claes Gustafsson, CCO
T: 1 (650) 853 8347

PR Contact:

Juliette Craggs/Richard Anderson
Sciad Communications Ltd.
T: +44 (0)20 3405 7892

NEWARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE) - ATUM today announced that it will provide free access to its Leap-In Transposase® protein production platform to commercial and academic laboratories developing diagnostic tools, vaccines and new protein-based therapies in support of the global COVID-19 response. With a wide variety of viral proteins, antibodies, interleukins and related protein molecules currently under evaluation across COVID-19-related clinical trials, ATUM's biological Leap-In platform enables the rapid production of commercial-grade protein from gram to kilogram levels. The efficient cell-based production of these proteins is essential to the scale-up of manufacturing vaccines, protein-based therapeutics and diagnostic tests.

As a Critical Infrastructure enterprise exempt from California’s shelter-in-place restrictions, ATUM is operating at full capacity and expediting, as rush orders ahead of other production, all gene and protein projects for commercial and academic groups developing diagnostics, vaccines or therapeutics to address the COVID-19 pandemic. These organizations will be provided access to the platform immediately and without a licensing fee.

The Leap-In Transposase platform developed by ATUM enables the rapid and stable integration of genes for expression of simple and complex proteins from mammalian hosts. Antibody production titers in excess of 5g/L can be achieved in a few weeks. The platform has been licensed by leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies around the world.

For academic and commercial research organizations interested in more information about this program, please visit www.atum.bio/pipeline/cld or send an email to info@atum.bio.

About ATUM

ATUM offers an integrated pipeline of tools including gene design, optimization and synthesis, expression vectors, and platforms for protein and cellular engineering and production. The company exploits the dependence of biological activity on well-designed sequences. ATUM's tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. By collaborating with our clients, ATUM accelerates breakthroughs and moves research further faster. For more information please visit: www.atum.bio.

Contact:

Colin Sanford for ATUM
203-918-4347

Newark, Calif., USA (June 11, 2019) - ATUM, a Newark, California-based leader in bioengineering and bioproduction, announced today the completion of a $1.5 million 26,000 sq. ft solar panel installation at its corporate headquarters and manufacturing site. The panel will generate enough electricity to satisfy all of ATUM's electricity needs, making it one of just a handful of biotech firms fueled entirely by renewable energy.

"Delivering ATUM's products and services requires a lot of electricity: from air conditioning the building to running the incubators, freezers, robots, and servers that power our business," said Jeremy Minshull, PhD., CEO of ATUM. "Our new solar panel array, with an annual capacity of nearly 1 GWh, enables us to generate all of our electricity from the sun."

A series of panels installed at three carports adjacent to the ATUM headquarters by Pleasanton, California-based Cool Earth Solar provides the majority of the new capacity, adding to an earlier roof installation.

The solar project is just the latest in a series of green initiatives at ATUM, which aims to achieve the highest standards of energy efficiency and environmental sustainability in all areas of its business, including manufacturing, architecture, human resources and portfolio management. The company’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and make a positive contribution towards combating climate change started with the purchase and retrofit of their current bioproduction facility in 2015.

In addition to the recently completed solar array, the site features LED lighting throughout, energy efficient elastomeric acrylic roofing, and a water recycling system. ATUM also participates in a cost-neutral waste to energy program and a composting program. Employees have access to free solar-powered car charging stations, as well as carpool and other shared transportation incentives.

The new ATUM state-of-the-art bioproduction facility supports customers in the fields of protein pharmaceuticals to engineer new biological drugs to cure diseases, industrial biocatalysis to replace toxic chemical processes with biofriendly methods, and food industry to make better nourishment for customers across the globe.

For the founders of ATUM, sustainability is more than a corporate slogan. It's a personal ethos and a long-term commitment. "Climate change is the biggest challenge facing us today," said Minshull. "Every year we watch California's wildfires grow bigger and more destructive and wonder what kind of world we are making for our children. ATUM's solar power project is an investment in the future - for all of us."

About ATUM

ATUM offers an integrated pipeline of tools including gene design, optimization and synthesis, expression vectors, and platforms for protein and cellular engineering and production. The company exploits the dependence of biological activity on well-designed sequences. ATUM's tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. By collaborating with our clients, ATUM accelerates breakthroughs and moves research further faster. For more information please visit: www.atum.bio

Media Contact:

Nicole Litchfield
1-415-793-6468

Newark, Calif., USA and Quebec City, Canada (May 28, 2019) - ATUM, a Newark, California-based leader in the development of protein expression technologies, announced today the exclusive licensing of gene-coding algorithm GeneGPS® to optimize protein expression in Nicotiana benthamiana to Medicago, a global leader in the development and production of plant-derived vaccines and therapeutic proteins. The gene design technology was developed using ATUM's patented gene optimization algorithm that combines design of experiments (DoE), exact empirical measurements, and machine learning tools to accurately predict the preferred gene sequence.

"The ATUM GeneGPS technology has continuously demonstrated robust and predictable protein expression in our Proficia@reg; plant-based manufacturing platform," said Marc-André D'Aoust, Ph.D., Vice President, Research & Innovation at Medicago. "Combining our proprietary transient protein expression technologies with the GeneGPS algorithm results in unprecedented productivity in the generation of VLP vaccine and antibody candidates."

Claes Gustafsson, Ph.D., Chief Commercial Officer and Co-Founder of ATUM, added: "The impressive and unique technology platform put in place by Medicago to quickly provide vaccines through plant-based protein production provides a new exciting tool to improve human health. We are pleased to have worked with Medicago to reach their goals by developing and licensing to them exclusive access to the proprietary Nicotiana benthamiana gene design GeneGPS platform."

About GeneGPS®

ATUM's patented GeneGPS® technology eliminates bias, incorrect assumptions, and flawed optimization strategies in gene design by focusing on what has been experimentally demonstrated to improve expression. GeneGPS® begins with a training set of systematically varied synthetic gene variants, whose expression is experimentally tested in a target host. The expression data is analyzed using machine learning to develop a gene design algorithm for that host. Genes designed using GeneGPS® reliably outperform genes designed using alternative methods.

ATUM has built GeneGPS® optimization algorithms for many bacterial, yeast, insect, plant, fungal, and mammalian expression hosts, and continues to improve and develop GeneGPS® for novel expression hosts.

About Medicago

Medicago is a Canadian clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with more than 400 employees in Canada and the United States. Medicago's mission is to improve global health outcomes by leveraging innovative plant-based technologies for rapid responses to emerging global health challenges. For more information: http://www.medicago.com

About ATUM

ATUM offers an integrated pipeline of tools including gene design, optimization and synthesis, expression vectors, and platforms for protein and cellular engineering and production. The company exploits the dependence of biological activity on well-designed sequences. ATUM's tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. By collaborating with our clients, ATUM accelerates breakthroughs and moves research further faster. For more information please visit: www.atum.bio

nbsp;

For ATUM

Nicole Litchfield
1-415-793-6468

NEWS – Bournemouth, UK – 14th January 2019: Solentim, a global leader in cell line development instrumentation, and bioengineering company ATUM, today announced a technology partnering and collaboration agreement. This agreement creates the most efficient cell line development solution for biotherapeutic drug developers yet, by integrating Solentim’s VIPS™ (verified in-situ plate seeding) hardware for isolating single cells with ATUM’s efficient Leap-In Transposase®expression technology.

“This collaboration allows Solentim and ATUM to offer a unique integrated solution to our customers and significantly accelerate stable cell line development workflows,” explains Dr Ian Taylor, Commercial Director of Solentim. “This approach means that scientists no longer need to pre-screen for high producing clones, e.g. using fluorescence detection to measure secretion from single cells or colonies. Instead, using the Leap-In Transposase technology, almost every transfected cell is a high producing clone. Combining this with high seeding efficiencies from VIPS has huge practical benefits to the workflow in time, cost and efficiency.”

“The protein pharmaceutical market is approaching a quarter of a trillion USD per year. Establishing and isolating the most suitable cell lines producing these drugs is a major manufacturing bottleneck. We are extremely excited to combine our advanced bioengineering tools with the leading instrumentation technology of Solentim to accelerate the discovery and development process” says Dr. Jeremy Minshull, CEO of ATUM.

Ends

Notes to Editors

About VIPS
VIPS™ from Solentim is a unique all-in-one instrument which performs single cell seeding into 96 well plates, verifying success by z-stack imaging the nanolitre (nL) volume droplets, and then performing whole well imaging of the single cell for the assurance of clonality regulatory requirements.

About Leap-In Transposase Technology
The Leap-In Transposase® rapidly catalyzes the stable integration of genes into a target genome. Genes are integrated as multiple independent copies with structural integrity perfectly maintained. This greatly reduces the screening burden required compared with slower, more traditional “random integration” methods where the introduced DNA is randomly fragmented and often rearranged. ATUM’s Leap-In technology is protected by over a dozen pending and issued patents.

About Solentim
Solentim enables its life science industry customers to develop a greater number of more effective pharmaceuticals to help patients live healthier, for longer. We do this through designing and manufacturing highly innovative instruments that facilitate the process of commercial cell line development. This phase of biopharmaceutical production is a high-value process which is intrinsically expensive and time-consuming. Our solutions significantly shorten the upstream cell line development workflow process and therefore make drug production faster and more cost effective. Our products, Cell Metric® and VIPS™, represent the next generation of single cell printing and provide documented proof of monoclonality for the FDA and other regulatory bodies. All of the world’s top ten pharmaceutical companies use Solentim products. Established in 2010 and with global headquarters in Dorset, UK; the organisation employs over 40 people across the UK, Europe, Asia and the USA.

About ATUM
ATUM, formerly DNA2.0, offers an integrated pipeline of tools including gene design, optimization and synthesis, expression vectors, and platforms for protein and strain engineering and production. ATUM exploits the dependence of biological activity on well-designed sequences. ATUM’s tools and solutions are fuelling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. By collaborating with our clients, ATUM accelerates breakthroughs and moves research further faster.

For further information, contact:

Corporate Contacts:
Solentim Ltd
Ian Taylor, Sales & Marketing Director
T: +44 (0)1202 051813
E: ian.taylor@solentim.com

ATUM
Claes Gustafsson, CCO
T: +1 (650) 853 8347
E: cgustafsson@atum.bio

PR Contact:
Emma Pickup / Juliette Craggs
Sciad Communications Ltd
T: +44 (0)20 7470 8801
E: solentim@sciad.com

NEWARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bioengineering company ATUM announces today that it has extended its 2014 agreement with Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) to apply ATUM’s proprietary bioengineering technology and gene engineering platform to ADM’s process technologies.

ATUM’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology for companies like @ADM

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“We are extremely excited to continue working with global leader ADM,” said Claes Gustafsson, ATUM Chief Commercial Officer. “Our proprietary bioengineering technology has for years been validated through numerous scientific collaborations, peer-reviewed scientific publications and strong underlying IP. Our technology allows us to engineer any measurable biological function, such as activity, stability, immunogenicity, substrate specificity, manufacturability and more, using only a few hundred samples in real commercial endpoint application assays.”

“ADM is pleased to continue our work with ATUM to enhance and expand our R&D technology portfolio,” said Paul Bloom, Vice President for Process and Chemical Research, ADM. “We look forward to a productive collaboration in developing the most efficient technology for our processes in the shortest possible timeframe.”

About ATUM:

ATUM, formerly DNA2.0, offers an integrated pipeline of tools including gene design, optimization and synthesis, expression vectors, and platforms for protein and strain engineering and production. ATUM exploits the dependence of biological activity on well-designed sequences. ATUM’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. By collaborating with our clients, ATUM accelerates breakthroughs and moves research further faster. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Newark, California. For more information, please visit https://www.atum.bio.

About ADM:

For more than a century, the people of Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) have transformed crops into products that serve the vital needs of a growing world. Today, we’re one of the world’s largest agricultural processors and food ingredient providers, with approximately 31,000 employees serving customers in more than 170 countries. With a global value chain that includes approximately 500 crop procurement locations, 270 ingredient manufacturing facilities, 44 innovation centers and the world’s premier crop transportation network, we connect the harvest to the home, making products for food, animal feed, industrial and energy uses. Learn more at www.adm.com.

Contacts

Archer Daniels Midland Company
Jackie Anderson, 312-634-8484
media@adm.com
or
ATUM
Lisa Lilienthal, 404-661-3679
lisa@iconatl.com

NEWARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ATUM (formerly DNA2.0 Inc.), a pioneer in bioengineering solutions, announce the issuance of patent No. 10,041,077 by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for expanding the scope of Leap-In, the company's innovative transposon-based tool. The patent entitled "DNA vectors, transposons and transposases for eukaryotic genome modification," covers configurations of vectors and vector elements together with transposons and transposases for improved recombinant protein expression in mammalian cell lines. This patent complements previously patented tools in the Leap-In suite to expand the company's focus on state-of-the-art mammalian protein and antibody production.

ATUM Expands and Integrates Transposon Based Technologies for Protein Pharmaceutical Development with new patents for Leap-In transposase technologies.

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"Our transposon-, and transposase-based platform has direct applications in recombinant protein expression, cell line development and cell/gene therapy," said Claes Gustafsson, PhD, ATUM’s Chief Commercial Officer. "We have already seen strong interest from protein pharmaceutical companies in our proprietary tools for transient and stable protein production in mammalian hosts. Now more than ever, we are in a position to apply our bioengineering tools to the entire spectrum of bioengineering, from designing and building better genes, proteins and pathways all the way to genomes."

"This key Leap-In patent validates the genome engineering platform we’re building," said Jeremy Minshull, PhD, CEO of ATUM. "We are committed to expand our recombinant protein and antibody expression suite of tools for both transient and stable mammalian protein production. Our unique and expanding Leap-In transposon patent estate in combination with our operational focus on our new state-of-the-art mammalian protein and antibody production laboratory enable efficient industrial scale biomanufacturing."

ATUM currently has 21 issued US patents covering bioengineering of genes, proteins, genomes and more.

About ATUM

ATUM is the leading bioengineering solutions provider, offering an integrated pipeline of tools including gene design, optimization and synthesis, expression vectors, and platforms for protein and cell line engineering and production. ATUM explores novel applications for synthetic genes and the synergy between efficient gene design and protein optimization technologies. ATUM's tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Newark, California. For more information, please visit ATUM http://www.atum.bio.

 

Contacts

For ATUM
Lisa Lilienthal, 404-661-3679
lisa@iconatl.com

NEWARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dedicated to creating technologies and tools to improve peoples' lives, ATUM today announced a patent licensing agreement giving Just Biotherapeutics access to the company’s Leap-In cell line development tools.

“We love everything about Just’s mission, and we are delighted that our Leap-In technology will be used to help democratize access to life-changing, life-saving drugs,” said Jeremy Minshull, PhD, CEO of ATUM.

Just creates new cost-effective discovery and manufacturing platforms to make biologic medicines accessible to global markets. The Leap-In system enables researchers to quickly and efficiently produce stable, high producing cell lines, therefore moving promising therapeutics to the market faster and less expensively than other methods.

“We are pleased to be working with innovative technology solutions like those provided by ATUM,” said Jim Thomas, CEO of Just. “The Leap-In Transposase system fits well with our biologics platform, helping us achieve higher expression levels more rapidly than conventional cell line development methods.”

Just was granted the R&D and commercial license after previewing the technology via an evaluation license from ATUM.

About the Leap-In Transposase® Technology

ATUM has discovered, characterized and patented two new families of transposases. These have been engineered using ATUM's ProteinGPS technology for complex genome engineering of mammalian cells, including the rapid generation of high titer protein expression lines.

The Leap-In Transposase® rapidly catalyzes the stable integration of genes into a target genome. In contrast to slower more traditional "random integration" methods where the introduced DNA is randomly fragmented and often rearranged, Leap-In perfectly maintains the structure of the integrating genes. Leap-In thus produces more stable, higher producing lines. ATUM's Leap-In technology is protected by over a dozen pending and issued patents.

About ATUM

ATUM, formerly DNA2.0, offers an integrated pipeline of tools including gene design, optimization and synthesis, expression vectors, and platforms for protein and strain engineering and production. ATUM exploits the dependence of biological activity on well-designed sequences. ATUM’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. By collaborating with our clients, ATUM accelerates breakthroughs and moves research further faster. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Newark, California. For more information, please visit https://www.atum.bio.

About Just Biotherapeutics

Just is a unique platform company that integrates the design, development and manufacture of biologics. With deep experience in the fields of protein, process and manufacturing sciences, the Just team came together to solve the scientific and technical hurdles that block access to life changing protein therapeutics; from the design of therapeutic molecules to the design of the manufacturing plants used to produce them. Our focus and passion is to create access and value for a global market through scientific and technological innovation. For more information visit http://www.justbiotherapeutics.com/.

Contacts

For ATUM
Lisa Lilienthal, 404-661-3679
lisa@iconatl.com

  • Horizon’s CHO SOURCE Platform now incorporates exclusive ATUM vectors as standard
  • ATUM has licensed Horizon’s CHO SOURCE platform to offer cell line development services with its Leap-In Transposase Technology

June 01, 2017 12:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

NEWARK, Calif. & CAMBRIDGE, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ATUM (formerly DNA2.0, Inc.) and Horizon Discovery (LSE: HZD) (“Horizon”), the world leader in the application of gene editing technologies, today announced they have signed a cross-license agreement for Horizon’s CHO SOURCE platform and ATUM’s vector technology to speed development of highly productive stable cell lines for drug development.

“Horizon’s GS line and ATUM’s vectors and transposase technology are a very powerful combination for production of stable cell lines in industry-leading timelines”

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ATUM has licensed Horizon’s CHO SOURCE platform, including the Glutamine Synthetase (GS) Knock-Out CHO K1 (Chinese hamster ovary) line, and will use its proprietary Leap-In® Transposase Technology to offer cell line development services. Horizon has exclusively licensed a vector suite developed by ATUM for the CHO SOURCE platform, to provide a complete cell line solution to its customers. Together, these technologies enable expression of complex biologics for customers of both ATUM and Horizon. ATUM is also offering Horizon customers a no-fee evaluation license for the transposase system.

The CHO SOURCE platform increases stringency of selection as compared with historical platforms based around chemical inhibition such as Methionine Sulphoximine (MSX) and Methotrexate (MTX). The result is more rapid identification of clones expressing a biotherapeutic product at industry-relevant levels. CHO SOURCE is a commercially disruptive platform based on a one-time fee for access for full commercial use.

The Horizon GS knockout cell line has been developed specifically to address the growing needs of biotech companies and CMOs in biological manufacturing. As part of the CHO SOURCE Platform, this fully traceable and GMP banked line is specifically designed for customers who want to rapidly implement an improved solution but without sacrificing time or putting quality at risk.

ATUM’s vector suite has been developed as part of a partnership with Horizon. These novel vectors are comprised of a mammalian expression technology that has been combined with additional elements that improve aspects of the protein production pathway. They have been designed for ease of use, with dual or single promoter options available as part of the CHO SOURCE platform. In tandem with a powerful selection system, these vectors will drive the generation of high yield stable cell lines.

Since receiving the first patent for Leap-In, ATUM’s transposon and tranposase-based tool, in September 2016, the technology has been licensed by several companies in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries where it has demonstrated the generation of multi gram/L stable pools. The technology can be accessed through ATUM’s cell line development service, which now combines Leap-In with the CHO SOURCE platform, or by evaluating the LeapIn transposase together with the CHO SOURCE platform for internal development followed by licensing the two technologies separately.

"Horizon’s GS line and ATUM’s vectors and transposase technology are a very powerful combination for production of stable cell lines in industry-leading timelines,” said Jeremy Minshull, co-founder and CEO of ATUM. “This technology is suited not just for regular antibodies, but for the next wave of biologics including two, three and four-chain bispecifics, and require only small numbers of clones to be screened to reach commercial titers. This allows us to look in more depth at other properties of the molecule, which is essential with these more complex biologics."

Dr. Darrin M Disley, CEO of Horizon Discovery Group plc, commented: “Horizon’s CHO SOURCE platform continues to challenge commercial and technical expectations in the industry. Horizon’s GS Knockout cell line has undergone extensive validation to demonstrate its suitability for biomanufacturing, and by including ATUM’s powerful expression vector we are now able to offer customers an improved solution.”

ENDS

About ATUM

ATUM, formerly DNA2.0, offers an integrated pipeline of tools including gene design, optimization and synthesis, expression vectors, and platforms for protein and strain engineering and production. ATUM exploits the dependence of biological activity on well-designed sequences. ATUM’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. By collaborating with our clients, ATUM accelerates breakthroughs and moves research further faster. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Newark, California. For more information, please visit https://www.atum.bio.

About Horizon Discovery Group plc www.horizondiscovery.com

Horizon Discovery Group plc (LSE: HZD) ("Horizon"), is a world-leading gene editing company that designs and engineers genetically-modified cells and then applies them in research and clinical applications that advance human health.

Horizon’s core capabilities are built around its proprietary translational genomics platform, a highly precise and flexible suite of gene editing tools (rAAV, ZFN, CRISPR and Transposon) able to alter almost any gene sequence in human or mammalian cell-lines.

Horizon offers over 23,000 catalogue products and related research services, almost all of which are based on the generation and application of cell and animal models that accurately recapitulate the disease-causing genetic anomalies found in diseases like cancer. Horizon’s commercial offering has been adopted by over 1,600 unique research organizations in over 50 countries as well as in the Company’s own R&D pipeline to support a greater understanding of the genetic drivers of disease and the development of molecular, cell and gene therapies that can be prescribed on a personalized basis.

Horizon is headquartered in Cambridge, UK, and is listed on the London Stock Exchange’s AIM market under the ticker “HZD”.

 

Contacts

For Horizon Discovery Group plc:
Zyme Communications (Trade and Regional Media)
Katie Odgaard
Tel: +44 (0)7787 502 947
Email: katie.odgaard@zymecommunications.com
or
For ATUM:
Lisa Lilienthal, 404-661-3679
lisa@iconatl.com

ATUM (formerly DNA TwoPointO, Inc.) announced today that the company has signed a patent licensing agreement that gives Thermo Fisher Scientific access to certain systems and methods for gene design as described in United States Patent No. 7,805,252.

"Most people think visually, so seeing a graphic representation of a sequence is very helpful in the design process,” said Alan Villalobos, ATUM's Vice President of Synthetic Biology and an inventor of the method. “This patent family is directed to representing sequence elements as icons, and features a drag and drop function that is crucial for avoiding errors that creep in during cut-and-paste operations, when one nucleotide missed can destroy the function of the entire construct. We are delighted that Thermo Fisher is utilizing these features."

 

About ATUM
ATUM, formerly DNA2.0, offers an integrated pipeline of tools including gene design, optimization and synthesis, expression vectors, and platforms for protein and strain engineering and production. ATUM exploits the dependence of biological activity on well-designed sequences. ATUM’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. By collaborating with our clients, ATUM accelerates breakthroughs and moves research further faster. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Newark, California. For more information, please visit https://www.atum.bio.

 

About Gene Designer 2.0
Gene Designer 2.0 software, introduced by ATUM in 2005, captures the entire gene design process in one efficient application, using a range of design tools purposely built for the task:
• Intelligent algorithms for in silico cloning, codon optimization, back translation and primer design.
• Graphically rich molecular view to display, annotate and edit constructs.
• Customizable database to store, manage, and track genetic element, genes and
constructs.
• Drag-and-drop interface for moving sequence elements within or between constructs.

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(Newark, CA, April 10, 2017) ATUM (formerly DNA2.0) has announced an expansion of its services to include cell line development, which has been enabled by the company’s proprietary Leap-In Transposase genome engineering tools.  ATUM has also begun construction of a new, 7,000 SF mammalian cell engineering laboratory at its Newark, CA headquarters.  The new facility, slated to be fully operational by September 2017, will double ATUM's lab space dedicated to mammalian work, and will include a cGMP cell bank manufacturing facility that is expected to be fully validated by the end of the year.

"The Leap-In Transposases give us stable, highly productive cell lines in very short timeframes,” said Ferenc Boldog, Ph.D., director of cell line development at ATUM and former head of cell line development at Shire. “In the era of CRISPR/Cas9 and TALENs, making gene knock-outs has been simplified. Leap-In Transposase complements these tools by enabling us to rapidly insert DNA of unlimited size into a target genome. The availability of two independent transposons allows us to make sequential genome modifications. For example, we can add half a dozen genes to modify glycosylation pathways using one transposase, then integrate 4 new genes to produce a bispecific antibody with an improved glycosylation profile."

ATUM has so far been granted four patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USTPO) for the company’s novel Leap-In Transposase technology:  "Enhanced nucleic acid constructs for eukaryotic gene expression,” Patent Nos: 9,428,767; 9,574,209; 9,580,697 and 9,534,234.

"With Dr. Boldog’s leadership, we have turned Leap-In from a research tool into a cell line development powerhouse,” said Jeremy Minshull, CEO of ATUM.  "We are finding that this novel technology significantly accelerates stable pool and cell-line generation for protein pharmaceutical production.  We obtain high productivities when used in conjunction with metabolic selections such as dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and glutamine synthetase (GS) or more generic drug selections such as puromycin. Now that high yield stable pools are so quick and easy to make, our partners can move into their final production host earlier in the drug development process, thereby giving them added confidence about the properties of their molecules.”

About the Leap-In Transposase® Technology

ATUM has discovered, characterized and patented two new families of transposases.  These have been engineered using ATUM's ProteinGPS technology for complex genome engineering of mammalian cells, including the rapid generation of high titer protein expression lines. The technology enables any recombinant DNA sequence to behave as a transposon -- a mobile genetic element -- and to efficiently transpose the cargo from delivery vectors to target cell chromosomes via a “cut & paste” mechanism. The Leap-In Transposase® rapidly catalyzes the stable, quasi-random integration of many copies of a transposon into the target genome. In contrast to more traditional "random integration" methods where the introduced DNA may be randomly fragmented and sequences lost, transposases integrate the entire transposon every time.  Transposons thus produce more stable and higher producing lines, and greatly reduce the downstream screening burden.

About ATUM

ATUM, formerly DNA2.0, offers an integrated pipeline of tools including gene design, optimization and synthesis, expression vectors, and platforms for protein and strain engineering and production. ATUM exploits the dependence of biological activity on well-designed sequences. ATUM's tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. By collaborating with clients, ATUM accelerates breakthroughs and moves research further faster. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Newark, California. For more information, please visit https://www.atum.bio.

Founded in 2003 to marry computational design and gene synthesis, DNA2.0 was a pioneer in the application of machine learning (or artificial intelligence) to biology. Today, the company is building on that legacy of invention with a new name: ATUM. In Egyptian mythology, ATUM was the first god, the underlying substance of the world -- a product of energy and matter. The new name reflects the company's expanded focus — manipulating the underlying substance of life (DNA) to engineer biology across the spectrum of scale, from building better genes, proteins and pathways all the way to creation of cells.

"The name ATUM captures the spirit of creation, invention and discovery that typifies who we are," said Jeremy Minshull, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO. "We are helping to transform biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline, and seeking out areas where this approach can have the biggest impact. Our vision for this new biology is to help advance solutions for some of the world's biggest problems -- disease, climate change and food insecurity. To do this we are strategically growing our team and introducing new tools. What hasn't changed is that we do all of this in a very collaborative model, with Ph.D. level scientists who engage with every customer in a peer-to-peer relationship."

The company's growth from DNA2.0 to ATUM has evolved with the science, and has been particularly catalyzed by:

• James Love, Ph.D., joining the company in 2015 to develop and lead protein expression services.
• The acquisition of MIGS, the antibody engineering powerhouse founded by Michael Feldhaus, Ph.D., who joined the company's executive team in April 2016.
• The recent hiring of Ferenc Boldog, Ph.D., who brings decades of pharmaceutical industry experience to establish ATUM's cell line development offerings.
• The issuance of the first patents in an emerging LeapIn transposase portfolio. This tool has applications in gene expression, gene therapy and gene discovery, as well as ATUM's cell line service.

"Historically, we have partnered with companies who use our DNA-based tools in-house," said Dr. Minshull. "By optimizing the interactions between our molecular tools, cells and growth conditions, we can offer more complete solutions, and speed our partners' progress. For example, we provide antibody engineering and upstream services to support the search for tomorrow's drugs, to abate climate change and to solve the problem of food insecurity."

About ATUM

ATUM, formerly DNA2.0, offers an integrated pipeline of tools including gene design, optimization and synthesis, expression vectors, and platforms for protein and strain engineering and production. ATUM exploits the dependence of biological activity on well-designed sequences. ATUM's tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. By collaborating with clients, ATUM accelerates breakthroughs and moves research further faster. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Newark, California. For more information, please visit https://www.atum.bio.

Contact:
Lisa Lilienthal, 404-661-3679
lisa@iconatl.com

SOURCE ATUM

NEWARK, Calif., Sept. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- DNA2.0 Inc., a pioneer in bioengineering solutions, today announced the issuance of a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for LeapIn, the company's innovative transposon- and transposase-based tool. Patent No. 9,428,767 entitled "Enhanced nucleic acid constructs for eukaryotic gene expression," covers configurations of vectors for improved heterologous gene expression, methods for identifying these configurations and the use of transposons and transposases.

"Our transposon-, and transposase-based tools have applications in gene expression, gene therapy and gene discovery," saidKate Caves, director of business development and marketing at DNA2.0 and a biologist who was one of the inventors. "We have already seen strong interest from protein pharmaceutical companies in our proprietary tools for transient and stable protein production in mammalian hosts. Now more than ever, we are in a position to apply our bioengineering tools to the entire spectrum of scale, from building better genes, proteins and pathways all the way to genomes."

"This is the first of our genome modification patents to issue," said Jeremy Minshull, PhD, CEO of DNA2.0. "We are committed to building a recombinant protein expression platform in combination with our operational focus on our new state-of-the-art mammalian protein production laboratory, and our recent acquisition of antibody production company Migs.  These are all underpinned by our technology base of machine learning and industrial scale gene synthesis."

DNA2.0 has 16 patents in the U.S.

About DNA2.0

DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider, offering an integrated pipeline of tools including gene design, optimization and synthesis, expression vectors, and platforms for protein and strain engineering and production. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and the synergy between efficient gene design and protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0's tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Newark, California. For more information, please visithttp://www.DNA20.com.

Contact:
Lisa Lilienthal, 404.661.3679
lisa@iconatl.com

SOURCE DNA2.0 Inc.

Related Links

http://www.DNA20.com

DNA2.0 Inc. announced that it has entered into a definitive asset purchase agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of MIGS LLC.  MIGS is a Lebanon, NH-based integrated contract research organization specializing in humanization and the production of antibody and antibody-like molecules that support preclinical studies with microgram to gram quantities of protein. MIGS Founder Dr. Michael Feldhaus will join the DNA2.0 team as senior vice president of antibody technologies.

"We are delighted to welcome the MIGS team into DNA2.0," said Jeremy Minshull, PhD, CEO of DNA2.0. "MIGS' antibody expertise and protein expression technology is a great fit with DNA2.0's industrialized bioengineering pipeline.  We aim to provide an unparalleled antibody production and engineering platform under one roof, and together we will continue to provide the excellent customer service MIGS customers expect, while growing our service offerings."

DNA2.0 has recently expanded into a new 50,000 SF facility in Newark, CA, allowing the company to make a significant investment in mammalian protein production capacity. "With MIGS' antibody expertise, we now have the ability to go from virtual sequence to producing proteins at gram-scale in mammalian cells," said Dr. Minshull. "Adding this to our machine learning and DNA synthesis platforms, we aim to help our customers to reimagine their research."

"We are excited to join forces with DNA2.0," said Michael Feldhaus, PhD, founder and CEO of MIGS.  "We have worked closely with DNA2.0 for some time and there is a clear opportunity for us to be more than the sum of our parts. MIGS customers will continue to have access to the highly integrated synthesis through purification process that delivers highly characterized antibody and antibody-like molecules in only a couple of weeks' time. Customers will now also have access to DNA2.0's next generation of mammalian expression vectors, translating into higher yields and faster turnaround times. We believe the protein pharmaceutical market will find this integrated offering an exceptional platform to accelerate their research."

MIGS CEO Michael Feldhaus and key personnel will transfer to the DNA2.0 site in Newark, CA. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

About DNA2.0
DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider, offering an integrated pipeline of solutions including gene design, optimization and synthesis, expression vectors, and platforms for protein and strain engineering. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and the synergy between efficient gene design and protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0's tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Newark, California. For more information, please visit http://www.DNA20.com.

About MIGS
MIGS was founded by two world renowned antibody engineers, Michael Feldhaus and James Marks, who have a combined total of greater than 150 papers in the field, greater than 100 patents in the antibody space, and more than 15 antibodies currently in clinical trials or approved for clinical use. The founders' vast experience was leveraged to build the company's unparalleled antibody production and analysis platform, which is applied to humanization and antibody engineering projects.

Media Contact:
Kate Caves
323-861-6361
kcaves@dna20.com

DNA2.0, Inc., the leading California-based bioengineering company, announced today that it has moved its corporate headquarters from Menlo Park, CA to a new, energy efficient, environmentally friendly bioproduction facility in Newark, CA, right across the San Francisco Bay from its prior location.

“Over the last few years, DNA2.0 has experienced significant business growth. Our proprietary GPS bioengineering platform combines synthetic genes and machine learning and has been adopted by a growing number of customers in biopharmaceutical, industrial and agricultural companies for a diverse range of applications,” said Jeremy Minshull, PhD., CEO of DNA2.0. “This new facility provides us with almost 50,000 sq. ft. of custom-built laboratory space designed specifically to support our increasingly industrialized scale of bioengineering service. Since the company’s 2003 inception as a gene synthesis provider, we now have a bioengineering service platform ranging from protein expression optimization to protein engineering and bioinformatics software. Our new green facility will allow us to rapidly accelerate our expansion and better serve our customers’ needs.”

About DNA2.0:
DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider, offering an integrated pipeline of solutions including gene design, optimization and synthesis, expression vectors, and platforms for protein and strain engineering. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and the synergy between efficient gene design and protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Newark, California. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com.

DNA2.0, Inc., the leading California-based bioengineering company, today announced the opening of its European branch office in Basel, Switzerland. The expansion is part of DNA2.0's long term commitment to better serve its clients in both domestic and international markets. "We are thrilled to see more and more customers in Europe have utilized DNA2.0's gene synthesis and GPS bioengineering technology for their research," said Dr. Claes Gustafsson, Chief Commercial Officer of DNA2.0. "Combining gene synthesis and machine learning, we have built a proven platform which is being applied to engineer better genes, proteins, vectors, pathways, and even genomes.”

"Our investment in Europe reflects the strong growth we see in demand for DNA2.0’s technology at European biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies as well as universities," said Greg Fujii, Senior Director of Sales and Head of DNA2.0 European Office. "Our Basel office will allow us to provide the same convenience and high quality customer support to our strong European customer base as our U.S. customers already enjoy."

About DNA2.0:
DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider, offering an integrated pipeline of solutions including gene design, optimization and synthesis, expression vectors, and platforms for protein and strain engineering. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and the synergy between efficient gene design and protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Newark, California. For more information, please visit http://www.DNA20.com.

Gene synthesis and bioengineering company DNA2.0 Inc. today announced that the United States Patent and Trade Office has issued U.S. Patent No. 8,975,042 covering the unique technology created by DNA2.0 scientists for synthetic fluorescent and colored proteins and the methods for using them. 

Fluorescent and colored proteins are a critical tool in contemporary bioscience, allowing the rapid and convenient observation of protein expression and interaction. DNA2.0’s IP-Free© synthetic non-Aequorea fluorescent and colored proteins covering the full spectrum are an ideal source of protein coding sequences that can be easily cloned into any expression vector of choice for use as positive controls, monitoring of protein expression, and a plethora of other applications.

“We are extremely excited to offer the scientific community an IP-Free palette of synthetic fluorescent and colored proteins.” said Claes Gustafsson, DNA2.0’s Chief Commercial Officer. “Our ProteinPaintbox® technology is a valuable tool for research, with uses ranging from reporters in transgenic systems to biosensors.”

Several unique proteins of each color have been created to cover a range of spectra and optimized for a variety of host systems including bacterial, mammalian and yeast. In addition, orthogonal co-expression of two different colors in a single host allows scientists to follow multiple processes simultaneously. DNA2.0 currently offers fluorescent proteins in Cyan (CFP), Green (GFP), Orange (OFP), Red (RFP), and Yellow (YFP).  DNA2.0 colored proteins include Blue, Magenta, Orange, Pink, Purple, Teal and Violet. A subset of the Paintbox proteins has been contributed to the public domain via the BioBrick Public Agreement. DNA2.0’s ProteinPaintbox® is available without intellectual property restrictions, for the Synthetic Biology community to improve upon and to incorporate into innovative products.

About DNA2.0: 
DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider, offering an integrated pipeline of solutions including gene design, optimization and synthesis, expression vectors, and platforms for protein and strain engineering. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and the synergy between efficient gene design and protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. Visit http://www.DNA20.com.

Gene synthesis and bioengineering company DNA2.0 Inc. announces today that it has entered into a technology access and services agreement with Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) to apply DNA2.0’s proprietary protein engineering technology, known as “ProteinGPS®” to ADM’s industrial enzyme engineering process.

“We are extremely excited that the global leader ADM has adopted our ProteinGPS engineering platform. This proprietary bioengineering technology has now been validated through many scientific collaborations, peer-reviewed scientific publications and strong underlying IP. It is exciting to see broad adoption of the technology with partners ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small startups, and in commercial fields ranging from chemical biocatalysis to therapeutic proteins,” said Claes Gustafsson, DNA2.0’s Chief Commercial Officer. “Our ProteinGPS technology allows us to engineer any measurable biological function, such as activity, stability, immunogenicity, substrate specificity, manufacturability, etc., using only a few hundred samples in real commercial endpoint application assays.”

“ADM is eager to work with DNA2.0 to enhance and expand our R&D technology portfolio in the area of protein engineering. We truly appreciate DNA2.0’s GPS technology platform and DNA2.0’s expertise in bioengineering, and we look forward to a productive collaboration in producing the most efficient enzymes in the shortest possible timeframe,” said Dirk Reif, sweetener development scientist at ADM.

About DNA2.0: 
DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider, offering an integrated pipeline of solutions including gene design, optimization and synthesis, and platforms for protein and strain engineering. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and the synergy between efficient gene design and protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. Visit http://www.DNA20.com.

About ADM: 
For more than a century, the people of Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) have transformed crops into products that serve the vital needs of a growing world. Today, we’re one of the world’s largest agricultural processors and food ingredient providers, with more than 33,000 employees serving customers in more than 140 countries. With a global value chain that includes more than 470 crop procurement locations, 285 ingredient manufacturing facilities, 40 innovation centers and the world’s premier crop transportation network, we connect the harvest to the home, making products for food, animal feed, chemical and energy uses. Learn more at http://www.adm.com.

Synthetic biology company Pareto Biotechnologies today announces a technology partnership with global bioengineering leader DNA2.0, enabling Pareto to further develop its technology for quick-to-market products.

The integration of Pareto's rational-based design approach and DNA2.0's machine learning optimization technologies, such as ProteinGPS™ and GeneGPS™, is drastically speeding up the process of engineering proteins in the Pareto pipeline. Specifically, Pareto will merge its novel synthetic biology platform with DNA2.0's ProteinGPS™ engineering technology, to identify and quantify genetic mutations to be incorporated into iterative rounds of improved synthetic genes. The tool rapidly generates proteins with improved characteristics.

"Rational-based design has been the core of my life's work. The marriage of Pareto's novel platform with DNA2.0's engineering expertise will create fantastic opportunities for enhancing enzymes for the production of Pareto products," said Dr. Joseph Noel, Salk Institute for Biological Studies Professor and Chairman of Pareto Biotechnologies' Scientific Advisory Board.

Pareto's CEO, Jamie Bacher, continued, "Our deep understanding of the structures of these classes of enzymes, along with a statistical optimization algorithm from DNA2.0 gets us the best of both worlds: rational design and robust enzyme improvement. Through our relationship with DNA2.0, we'll be able to generate completely novel molecules with applicability to flavors and fragrances, cosmetics, and therapeutics."

The broad applicability of this combined approach enables a progressive application of the technology along the value chain, as a practical demonstration of the power of market-driven research and development efforts – a.k.a. "Synthetic Biology 2.0." Pareto will leverage DNA2.0's specific technologies to increase the efficacy of its own platform to generate flavors, fragrances and cosmetics with improved and novel properties. As the technology is further developed, it will also enhance drug discovery platforms, as well as the generation of industrial chemicals.

"Our patented bioengineering approaches, especially ProteinGPS™ and GeneGPS™, have been validated by many scientific publications and successful partners. Recently we published a seminal ProteinGPS paper in ACS Synthetic Biology. The technology allows the researcher to engineer any biological function using only a few hundred samples. We are delighted to partner with Pareto and Dr. Joe Noel in their exciting endeavor to ignite the molecular revolution," said Claes Gustafsson, DNA2.0's Chief Commercial Officer.

About Pareto Biotechnologies: 
Pareto Biotechnologies is a synthetic biology startup that is poised to lead the movement towards a bio-based economy. Pareto's platform fully leverages its dominant IP position in polyketide pathways, combining structurally-guided enzyme design and synthetic biology to develop a platform for designer molecules with broad applicability: cosmetics, flavors, fragrances, therapeutics, industrial commodity chemicals, and chemical intermediates. Learn More About Pareto Biotechnologies.

About DNA2.0: 
DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider, offering an integrated pipeline of solutions, including gene design, optimization, synthesis, and platforms for protein and strain engineering. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and the synergy between efficient gene design and protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0's tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. Learn More About DNA2.0.

DNA2.0 today announced the release of a set of CRISPR/Cas9 tools for genome editing and engineering. At the heart of DNA2.0’s CRISPR toolset is the revolutionary NickaseNinja system, which offers the high fidelity editing of Cas9 nickase plus guide RNA (gRNA) pairs, in a convenient single-vector format.  By co-expressing two guide RNAs using dual RNA polymerase promoters, the patent-pending NickaseNinja removes the need for co-transfection of multiple vectors, improving genome editing efficiency and consistency compared with the conventional two vector systems currently available. The NickaseNinja system enables targeted mutagenesis at efficiencies over 50 percent, as compared to efficiencies around 35 percent for conventional two vector systems.

Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, or CRISPRs, have emerged as a next-generation genome-engineering tool because of their ability to cut genomic DNA at precise locations. This greatly simplifies the process of gene editing by allowing for rapid, efficient and precise engineering, even with complex genomes.

DNA2.0 has also created an easy-to-use gRNA Design Tool to enable optimal engineering for any target—while minimizing off-target effects—by utilizing DNA2.0’s proprietary optimization algorithms. The online, easy-to-use graphic interface enables researchers the ability to design gRNA within seconds, using gene names, loci or specific target sequences.  Customers can then order the designed gRNAs as transfection ready CRISPR constructs directly from DNA2.0. DNA2.0 will clone the designed gRNAs into CRISPR vectors or customers can do the cloning work themselves by utilizing DNA2.0’s IP-Free© scarless cloning system, Electra. All of DNA2.0's CRISPR/Cas9 vectors are also available with fluorescent reporters from the IP-Free© Protein Paintbox for easy visualization.

“CRISPR/Cas9 technology has simplified genome editing and enabled many exciting new approaches in a very short time,” said Jeremy Minshull, CEO and cofounder of DNA2.0. “We strive to deliver the very best bioengineering solutions to our research customers. Our CRISPR tool set, from the design tool to the NickaseNinja system, demonstrates our commitment to innovate and create more powerful tools so that our customers may more easily break new ground with their discoveries.”

About DNA2.0

DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider. Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 offers an integrated pipeline of solutions for the research community, including gene design, optimization, synthesis and cloning, as well as platforms for protein and strain engineering. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes—based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 is by far the most published synthetic gene vendor, providing expert support to and collaboration with scientists. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene design and synthesis processes and new protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com

DNA2.0 has entered into a research collaboration with the Infection and Immunity Research Centre at St. George’s, University of London, to support the development of plant-based biopharmaceuticals.

Professor Julian Ma and his research group at St. George’s have made significant progress in the use of the tobacco plant to produce antibodies and are currently carrying out human trials of a tobacco-produced monoclonal antibody to prevent HIV infection.

DNA2.0’s GeneGPS gene optimization technology will serve as a basis to identify and quantify the variables affecting protein expression in tobacco in order to enable commercial production yield of the antibodies.

While recombinant proteins such as antibodies have traditionally been made in E. coli, yeast or mammalian cells, the production process for these host cell lines is expensive, as it requires extensive processing and purification.  In contrast, agricultural production is cheap and easily scalable. Professor Ma’s idea is that plant-based drugs could eventually be very affordable to grow and harvest in the developing world. Ma has chosen tobacco for his research because it is already grown all over the world and does not compete with food production.

“DNA2.0 is very excited to partner with Professor Ma and his research group because we believe his approach to developing antibodies in plant systems will have a dramatic impact on the affordability and availability of life-saving biopharmaceuticals,” said Jeremy Minshull, PhD., cofounder and CEO of DNA2.0. “DNA2.0’s GeneGPS technology has been proven to increase protein expression up to 100-fold in multiple expression systems, and we are confident that our data-centric approach to expression optimization will be successful in tobacco.”

Proteins are often difficult to express outside their original host. Different gene sequences encoding the same protein can express at very different levels. Altering the coding sequence to increase protein expression is highly cost effective, providing the recoding is done correctly according to scientifically researched algorithms. Contrary to common belief, recoding genes to encode abundant codons does not correlate with protein yield; however, recoding genes to encode variables identified through heuristic screening can drastically improve expression yield of functional proteins. DNA2.0’s patented GeneGPS technology has been proven to increase recombinant protein production by orders of magnitude in biological systems such as E. coli, Mammalian cell lines, Pichia pastoris and others.

“High protein expression yield is essential to our ability to deliver therapeutic levels of a protein in a manner that is cost effective,” said Professor Julian Ma. “This is even more essential when working with a plant like tobacco, and we anticipate very positive results from the pairing of our lab’s plant expression experience with DNA2.0’s well-documented approach to increasing expression with GeneGPS.”

About the Infection and Immunity Research Centre, St. George’s, University of London

The centre’s research is in Infection and Immunity and aims to discover new knowledge and treatments for some of the world’s most devastating infectious diseases and pathogens including HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium difficile.

About St. George’s, University of London

St George’s, University of London, is the UK’s only independent medical and healthcare higher education institution. St George’s is a modern, innovative academic and research organisation built upon a rich history stretching back 250 years. Alumni include John Hunter, known as the father of modern surgery, and Edward Jenner, creator of the first vaccine, used to eradicate smallpox.

The University aims to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease in areas including infection and immunity, heart disease and stroke, and cell signalling.

About DNA2.0

DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider. Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 offers an integrated pipeline of solutions for the research community, including gene design, optimization, synthesis and cloning, as well as platforms for protein and strain engineering. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes—based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 is by far the most published synthetic gene vendor, providing expert support to and collaboration with scientists. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene design and synthesis processes and new protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com

DNA2.0, the leading bioengineering solutions provider, today introduced the Electra Vector System, a universal cloning system for simple, scarless cloning. The Electra system is completely free from licensing restrictions and provides researchers from a large variety of disciplines a much-needed advantage to current cloning methodology.

Systems that facilitate easy movement of DNA elements from one context to another allow many genetic constructs to be rapidly built and tested. DNA2.0 has developed a simple, PCR-free, one-tube universal cloning process that can be performed in a five-minute bench-top reaction with the fidelity of a restriction-based cloning system.

“For a cloning system to be truly universal, researchers should be able to easily utilize their constructs in multiple vector systems without licensing headaches. DNA2.0 developed the Electra Vector System because our customers deserve an efficient, rapid and reliable approach to cloning that is IP-Free,” said Jeremy Minshull, CEO and cofounder of DNA2.0. “Unlike alternative systems, with Electra there are no intellectual property entanglements, no unwanted mutations from polymerases and no sequence scars to affect expression and function.”

The Electra Vector System has 3 major components: pMOTHER vectors which contain the gene of interest, pDAUGHTER vectors (currently >100 vectors) for expression screening and the Electra Reagent Kit for one-step cloning. Electra DAUGHTER vectors are available for purchase independently from DNA2.0. Electra MOTHER vectors are available for individual purchase from the DNA2.0 catalog or by utilizing the DNA2.0 gene synthesis service.

The Electra system takes advantage of the type IIS restriction enzyme SapI developed by New England Biolabs. The key properties of SapI include a sufficiently rare 7bp non-palindromic recognition sequence and a 3bp 5’overhang after digestion that can be designed for any sequence (e.g., the universal ATG start codon and a universal STOP codon). The Electra system can also be used to combine multiple sequence elements simultaneously, facilitating the easy construction of combinatorial libraries, either in a single tube, or in individually enumerated combinations. Any vector can be easily ‘Electrafied’, i.e., converted to function as an Electra DAUGHTER vector, and DNA2.0’s Ph.D.-level customer support scientists can assist customers in determining the best cloning strategy for their research.

About DNA2.0

DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider. Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 offers an integrated pipeline of solutions for the research community, including gene design, optimization, synthesis and cloning, as well as platforms for protein and strain engineering. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes—based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 is by far the most published synthetic gene vendor, providing expert support to and collaboration with scientists. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene design and synthesis processes and new protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit http://www.DNA20.com.

The emerging field of protein engineering offers an extraordinary opportunity to design novel proteins that can be utilized for a wide range of purposes such as creating antibody-based therapeutics or specialized enzymes for energy production or to remove toxins from the environment. By utilizing libraries to screen for desired activity through directed evolution, researchers can more quickly and efficiently engineer useful proteins. DNA2.0’s sequence libraries are powerful tools for structure-function relationship analysis or for modifying the activities of proteins or DNA regulatory regions.

DNA2.0 has developed a useful guide for maximizing screening efficiency through good library design, available in the current issue of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News (GEN). The tutorial guides researchers on the choice of library format based on the target application and screening capabilities available for a particular project. Properties as diverse as thermal stability, protein-ligand affinity, kinetics, substrate specificity and even catalytic mechanism can all be engineered using libraries and functional screening. Libraries may be as small as a handful of variants or as large as 10^12 variants or more.

“DNA2.0’s Protein Variant Libraries are tailored to your particular research question, whether you want to explore large, complex sequence spaces with a Combinatorial Site Library or utilize Modular libraries to create new multi-domain proteins, biochemical pathways, genetic circuits and organisms,” said Claes Gustafsson, CCO and cofounder of DNA2.0. “While DNA2.0‘s ProteinGPS™ system for rational protein design is the preferred approach to bioengineering when screening capacity is limiting, we are pleased to offer the flexibility and affordability of our libraries for our customers who are best served by high-throughput screening approaches.”

In order to make the process of designing and ordering libraries easy and seamless, DNA2.0 created Library Designer, an online tool that allows researchers the complete freedom to design libraries to their exact specification while automatically checking for sequence accuracy, diversity and features such as restriction sites. DNA2.0’s variant libraries are delivered ready for screening to identify variants with improved or altered function, which is key to engineering novel proteins or pathways. Library Designer helps to ensure that researchers get the right library for their research needs.

DNA2.0’s Library Design Specialists can help determine the best library or series of libraries to suit the needs of a particular project or research goal. DNA2.0 libraries are customized for individual research needs and are delivered with the same industry-leading speed and customer service that DNA2.0 guarantees for its complete line of bioengineering solutions.

About DNA2.0 
DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider. Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 offers an integrated pipeline of solutions for the research community, including gene design, optimization, synthesis and cloning, as well as platforms for protein and strain engineering. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes—based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 is by far the most published synthetic gene vendor, providing expert support to and collaboration with scientists. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene design and synthesis processes and new protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit http://www.DNA20.com.

DNA2.0, the leading bioengineering solutions provider, today announced that it has been awarded US patent 8,323,930 for a new cloning method that facilitates high-throughput manufacturing of synthetic DNA. The company’s new technology for one-step DNA cloning is based on the DNA topoisomerase enzyme and its capacity to nick and reanneal DNA. Because the process does not rely on PCR, DNA2.0’s method ensures no introduced sequence errors in the cloned version of the newly manufactured synthetic gene.

 

“Industrializing the production of synthetic genes requires more than simply increasing the capacity and accuracy of oligonucleotide synthesis. Accordingly, DNA2.0 has developed a new method to efficiently and consistently clone assembled oligonucleotides to generate clonal entities in a one-step process,” said Jeremy Minshull, CEO and cofounder of DNA2.0. “DNA2.0 is proud to be an innovation leader so that our customers can focus on their research rather than reinventing the wheel. We are excited to add this patent to our growing portfolio of technological achievements in synthetic biology.”

 

About DNA2.0

DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider. Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 offers an integrated pipeline of solutions for the research community, including gene design, optimization, synthesis, and cloning, as well as platforms for protein and strain engineering. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes—based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 is by far the most published synthetic gene vendor, providing expert support to and collaboration with scientists. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene design and synthesis processes and new protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com.

DNA2.0, the leading bioengineering solutions provider, today announced a research collaboration with Newcastle University to develop a protein expression system for Bacillus subtillis. Professor Anil Wipat and his colleagues at Newcastle’s Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology and School of Computing Science have undertaken key research on the synthetic biology applications of B. subtillis, and DNA2.0 and Newcastle intend to leverage their synergies in computational design and the development of industrially relevant bacterial strains. DNA2.0’s GeneGPS™ gene optimization technology will serve as a basis for the development of enhanced gene synthesis algorithms for the bacterium.

B. subtillis is the chief production host for industrial enzyme manufacturing and a dominant bacterial workhorse for microbial fermentations. Industrial applications include production of amylases, proteases, inosine, ribosides and amino acids. The organism, which is considered safe for humans, is also key to the production of soya-based natto production in Japan. The understanding of the molecular biology and physiology of this important gram-positive model organism is second only to Escherichia coli. This makes B. subtillis an ideal host for industrial synthetic biology.

“Professor Wipat’s lab at Newcastle is producing some of the most important research in synthetic biology today, and we are excited to be collaborating with him,” said Jeremy Minshull, PhD., cofounder and CEO of DNA2.0. “By combining our patented GeneGPS technology—which has been proven to increase protein expression up to 100-fold—with Newcastle’s deep experience with B. subtillis, I’m confident that we will develop a best-in-class solution for this important bacterium for industrial biotechnology.”

In addition to developing a robust expression system for B. subtillis, the two organizations expect that the gene design algorithms that they develop will be likely to mimic related gram positives that are also very popular in industrial biotechnology. Industrially important organisms such as Clostridium, Lactobacillus and Geobacillus share similarities with B. subtilis in their development and genetics. As a result, the knowledge gained from optimizing expression for this organism promises to be more widely applicable in an industrial context.

“We are thrilled to be able to apply DNA2.0’s experience developing protein expression systems for a wide range of hosts to B. subtillis,” said Professor Anil Wipat. “This system will not only benefit the substantial critical mass of Bacillus researchers at Newcastle but will help provide a foundational technology for the synthetic biology of this organism both in the UK and at an international level. The outputs of the project fit clearly with the aims of the UK Flower’s consortium (Newcastle University, Imperial College London, The University of Edinburgh, University of Cambridge and King’s College London). The Flower’s project, in which Newcastle has a key role in industrial chassis development, has a special focus on Bacillus and is producing systems to promote industrial synthetic biology in the UK.”

Newcastle’s School of Computing Science
The School of Computing Science is one of the leading centres for research in computing science in the UK. The school carries out fundamental computing science research which is evaluated and extended through application to industrial and interdisciplinary challenges. Interdisciplinary research in the biological sciences is lead by the Biology, Neuroscience and Computing Group, with six strong academic teams. Bioinformatics and development of computational approaches to the design of biological systems is a major strength within this group and the school more widely.

Newcastle’s Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology
The Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology was set up by Prof. Jeff Errington in 2007 and is the world’s first major research centre for the study of the molecular and cellular biology of bacterial cells. With over 20 groups of researchers, the Centre is also one of the world’s largest groupings of scientists working on the tractable model organism B. subtilis. This unrivaled expertise in the centre has paved the way for the establishment of the CBCB as a centre of excellence for the synthetic biology of the genus Bacillus and its relatives.

About DNA2.0
DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider. Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 offers an integrated pipeline of solutions for the research community, including gene design, optimization, synthesis and cloning, as well as platforms for protein and strain engineering. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes—based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 is by far the most published synthetic gene vendor, providing expert support to and collaboration with scientists. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene design and synthesis processes and new protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com.

DNA2.0, the leading bioengineering solutions provider, today announced a collaboration with the Gene Therapy Program at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, to evaluate the impact of gene optimization on in vivo protein expression. DNA2.0’s patented GeneGPS™ technology will be utilized to optimize in vivo protein expression. The research partnership will primarily support the program’s work on HIV-1 vaccine development, although the results are likely applicable to a wide range of gene therapy approaches.

Understanding the gene preferences of differentiated tissues is critical to maximize the efficacy of gene therapies. The Gene Therapy Program, under the direction of James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, focuses on developing effective gene transfer vectors derived from recombinant viruses and their application in the treatment of a variety of acquired and inherited diseases. Much of the program's current effort is in the development and optimization of new adeno-associated virus vectors.

“Gene optimization is a viable and under-appreciated method to improve transgene expression in gene therapy, and we are excited to evaluate the technology of DNA2.0 in our vector systems,” said Dr. Wilson.

DNA2.0’s technology concentrates on the influence of gene design on expression in mammalian cell lines. However, the gene preferences of tissues in vivo may be distinct from cultured production cell lines and may differ between different target tissue.

Dr. Wilson’s vaccine research team is a member of the Collaboration for AIDS Vaccine Discovery (CAVD), an international network of scientists and experts dedicated to designing a variety of novel HIV vaccine candidates and advancing the most promising candidates to clinical trials. CAVD is funded by grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

“Gene therapy approaches, such as those studied in Dr. Wilson’s lab, require optimal calibration of therapeutic protein expression levels in vivo. DNA2.0’s GeneGPS is the industry’s only gene optimization approach that utilizes machine learning methods to experimentally optimize expression levels for any application,” said Mark Welch, PhD, Director of Gene Design for DNA2.0. “We have successfully applied GeneGPS technology to optimize expression in a variety of hosts, including bacterial, fungal, plant and mammalian cell lines.  We are especially interested in teaming with the Gene Therapy Program at Penn to extend our expertise to in vivo tissues, where cost savings and expression control are critical to the success of gene therapies for some of our most intractable diseases.”

  

About DNA2.0

DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider. Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 offers an integrated pipeline of solutions for the research community, including gene design, optimization, synthesis and cloning, as well as platforms for protein and strain engineering. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes—based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 is by far the most published synthetic gene vendor, providing expert support to and collaboration with scientists. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene design and synthesis processes and new protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com.

DNA2.0, the leading bioengineering solutions provider and VTU Technology, the leader in Pichia pastoris protein expression services, today announced a partnership to develop and refine a gene design algorithm to enable maximized protein production in the yeast P. pastoris. The collaboration will combine VTU´s deep P. pastoris expertise and AOX1 promoter technology with DNA2.0’s gene design technology for robust translation.

“Pichia is ideally suited for high-level expression of recombinant proteins for therapeutic and industrial applications,” said Dr. Thomas Purkarthofer, Head of Business Development of VTU Technology. “We are excited to merge the unparalleled strength of our P. pastoris expression system with DNA2.0’s industry-leading gene design and expression optimization technology.”

VTU’s P. pastoris protein expression platform is based on engineered versions of the AOX1 promoter, one of the strongest eukaryotic promoters known. VTU’s approach delivers up to 20 g/L of secreted protein within a few weeks development time, and the company has a proven track record for expressing commercial levels of a wide range of proteins including serum proteins, cytokines, fusion proteins, Fabs, antibody derived fragments, scaffold proteins and enzymes.

The protein target for this collaboration is DNA2.0’s IP-free CometGFP™, which is part of a novel family of fluorescent and colorimetric proteins developed by DNA2.0. The corresponding IP-free genes are brought to market without expensive, constrained licensing.

“We developed our initial Pichia gene design algorithm with the world-leading P. pastoris laboratory of Anton Glieder, and we are thrilled to expand the breadth and scope of our P. pastoris technology for industrial scale applications with the proven commercial leader in the field, VTU Technology,” said Jeremy Minshull, PhD., cofounder and CEO of DNA2.0. “Controllable, consistent and strong protein expression is the goal regardless of the type of research in which you are engaged, and our patented GeneGPS™ technology has been proven to produce orders of magnitude increases in protein expression.”

About VTU Technology
VTU Technology is a leading provider of comprehensive services based on exclusive and innovative Pichia pastoris protein production technologies. With exclusive know-how and extensive experience, VTU´s skilled team delivers fast-track development of high-performance industrial protein production strains enabling high expression yields and economically attractive production processes.

Headquartered in Grambach/Graz, Austria, VTU Technology is a private company and a subsidiary of VTU Holding, an Austrian enterprise that combines several technology and engineering companies in chemistry, pharma & life science as well as power and fuel industries. For more information, please visit www.vtu-technology.com

About DNA2.0
DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider. Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 offers an integrated pipeline of solutions for the research community, including gene design, optimization, synthesis and cloning, as well as platforms for protein and strain engineering. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes—based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 is by far the most published synthetic gene vendor, providing expert support to and collaboration with scientists. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene design and synthesis processes and new protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com.

DNA2.0, the leading bioengineering solutions provider, today announced a partnership with Aldevron to improve recombinant protein production in insect cell culture. By pairing DNA2.0‘s GeneGPS™ technology with Aldevron’s protein production experience, the two companies will develop enhanced gene synthesis algorithms for baculovirus protein expression in insect cells.

“Aldevron’s expertise in protein expression and production compliments DNA2.0’s gene design and expression optimization technology,” said Tom Foti, Vice President of Aldevron. “Through this collaboration, we will be able to provide our clients an improved method for producing high quality proteins with increased yields—all while saving them crucial time and money.”

Insect cell expression systems are valued for high expression levels that permit folding, oligomerization and other post-translational modifications in manners that are often identical to those that occur in mammalian cells. By increasing the productivity from insect cell culture, the collaboration between Aldevron and DNA2.0 will further benefit drug discovery research and commercial therapeutic protein production.

“We have successfully optimized expression for a variety of hosts, including bacteria, yeast, fungus, plant and mammalian, and we are excited to team with Aldevron to extend our expertise to baculovirus expression in insect cells,” said Jeremy Minshull, PhD., cofounder and CEO of DNA2.0. “By combining our patented GeneGPS technology—which has been proven to increase protein expression up to 100-fold—with Aldevron’s strength in large scale protein production, I’m confident that we will develop a best-in-class solution for insect cell culture.”

 

About Aldevron

Aldevron is a leader in plasmid DNA purification, protein production and antibody generation. Aldevron manufactures biologics for research, clinical development, diagnostic and commercial applications. Aldevron's capacity, throughput and capabilities support projects in bacterial, insect and mammalian cell systems. By combining innovative technologies with proactive communication and service, Aldevron consistently exceeds client expectations. For more information about Aldevron, visit www.aldevron.com.

 

About DNA2.0

DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider. Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 offers an integrated pipeline of solutions for the research community, including gene design, optimization, synthesis and cloning, as well as platforms for protein and strain engineering. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes—based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 is by far the most published synthetic gene vendor, providing expert support to and collaboration with scientists. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene design and synthesis processes and new protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com.

 

 

Contact:

Eric Schubert

415-939-4366

ericschubert@me.com

DNA2.0, the leading bioengineering solutions provider, today announced its sponsorship of Singularity University’s inaugural synthetic biology accelerator program, the SynBio Startup Launchpad. The program will nurture aspiring life science entrepreneurs seeking to apply the rapid-cycle, low-cost approaches employed by tech and biotech startups.

“DNA2.0’s innovative bioengineering tools are helping to speed the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline,” said Jeremy Minshull, Ph.D., cofounder and CEO of DNA2.0. “As a first-generation synthetic biology startup, we are excited to support Singularity University in helping our nascent industry advance.”

Two companies were selected by SU for the SynBio Program: Evolutionary Solutions and Modern Meadow. Evolutionary Solutions (founders Kettner Griswold and Paul Sebexen) is developing an oligo- to genome-scale synthesis device. Modern Meadow (co-founder Andras Forgacs) applies the latest advances in tissue engineering to produce a range of novel biomaterials for food and textile applications.

The selected entrepreneurs go through four months of comprehensive, customized mentoring and education in bringing their ideas to market. The companies receive close mentorship from a network of experienced advisors, weekly speakers on critical venture topics, networking with their peers, and valuable discounted services to launch their companies.

The first program will conclude in late August with the SynBio Companies pitching their ventures to investors and the community at “demo day” events.

 

About DNA2.0

DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider. Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 offers an integrated pipeline of solutions for the research community, including gene design, optimization, synthesis and cloning, as well as platforms for protein and strain engineering. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes—based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 is by far the most published synthetic gene vendor, providing expert support to and collaboration with scientists. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene design and synthesis processes and new protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com.


About Singularity University

Singularity University’s mission is to assemble, educate, and inspire a new generation of leaders in business, science, finance, and government who strive to understand and use exponentially advancing technologies to address humanity’s grand challenges. Corporate Partners include Autodesk, Cisco, ePlanet Ventures, Genentech, Google, Kauffman Foundation, and Nokia. Since 2009, SU has hosted students and industry leaders from more than 60 countries at its campus at NASA Research Park, Moffett Field, CA.

SU offers a Summer Graduate Studies Program and numerous Executive Programs throughout the year focused on the impact and incubation of exponentially advancing technologies in the key areas of medicine and neuroscience, networks and computing systems, artificial intelligence and robotics, biotechnology and bioinformatics, nanotechnology, space and physical science, and energy and environmental systems. SU programs focus on the intersection of these areas with each other and with policy, law, and ethics; design; entrepreneurship; finance and economics; and futures studies and forecasting. For more information about the SynBio program visit www.singularityu.org.

DNA2.0 announced that USPTO has recognized its bioengineering work by awarding the company a new patent. Patent 8,158,391 covers genetic modifications to yeasts of the genus Candida that enable them to produce commercially valuable yields of omega hydroxy-fatty acids. Until now, these key chemical building blocks could only be produced using synthetic chemistry, making them too expensive for most applications. DNA2.0 expects this new bio-based production route to make hydroxy-fatty acids available for the synthesis of lubricants, adhesives, and monomers for a unique family of bio-based plastics. Unlike existing bioplastics, this new family of polymers will have properties very similar to polyethylene, allowing for easy acceptance in the marketplace. The plastics can be used for packaging and other purposes and can afterwards be broken down and turned into diesel fuel.

DNA2.0 collaborated with Professor Richard Gross and his lab at Polytechnic University in Brooklyn, N.Y. to engineer the yeast. The yeast production strain was engineered to produce omega hydroxy-fatty acids by identifying and eliminating from the yeast genome 16 genes that had been preventing accumulation of the desired compounds. DNA2.0 then introduced genes encoding different hydroxylation enzymes, allowing Professor Gross' lab to identify those that best produced hydroxy-fatty acids.

“This patent demonstrates the value of DNA2.0’s tools, which have enabled a small team of scientists to rewire a cell for cost-effective production of useful chemicals“ said Jeremy Minshull, cofounder and CEO of DNA2.0. “Weaning ourselves from petrochemicals will require us to develop renewable alternatives without compromising performance. We are proud to combine our engineering expertise to co-develop solutions with pioneering scientists such as Professor Gross.“

The research to develop the patent was funded in part by a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) grant for its Mobile Integrated Sustainable Energy Recovery (MISER) program. The goal is to achieve nearly complete plastic packaging waste reduction while harnessing 90 percent of the packaging energy content for use in electricity generation.


About DNA2.0

DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider. Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 offers an integrated pipeline of solutions for the research community, including gene design, optimization, synthesis and cloning, as well as platforms for protein and strain engineering. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes—based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 is by far the most published synthetic gene vendor, providing expert support to and collaboration with scientists. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene design and synthesis processes and new protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com.

DNA2.0, the leading bioengineering solutions provider, today introduced the piggyBac™ Mammalian Expression System, an efficient, one plasmid method to create stable transfectants in mammalian cells. Licensed from Transposagen Biopharmaceuticals Inc., the piggyBac transposon system includes reversible genetic modification and rapid insertion site characterization. DNA2.0 scientists have taken Transposagen’s best-in-class genetic modification system and optimized it for the company’s all-in-one pHULK vectors. Applications range from stem cell research to protein production and cell line engineering.

“At DNA2.0, our chief goal is to provide our customers with the best possible tools to move from idea to experimental results quickly and efficiently,” said Claes Gustafsson, cofounder and Chief Commercial Officer of DNA2.0. “By pairing powerful third-party solutions such as Transposagen’s piggyBac system with our world-class gene design expertise and industry-leading gene synthesis, DNA2.0 can ensure that our customers have the competitive edge.”

DNA2.0’s piggyBac vectors are the first to come with CometGFP™, a green fluorescent protein for easy confirmation of transfection, protein production or cellular localization. pHULK piggyBac mammalian expression vectors are available as catalog items and for custom cloning for synthetic genes. Like all DNA2.0 products, pHULK vectors are manufactured at the company’s state-of-the-art facility in Menlo Park, California and never outsourced to countries with lax IP protection. DNA2.0 customers maintain full rights to their intellectual property.

 

About DNA2.0

DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider. Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 offers an integrated pipeline of solutions for the research community, including gene design, optimization, synthesis and cloning, as well as platforms for protein and strain engineering. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes—based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 is by far the most published synthetic gene vendor, providing expert support to and collaboration with scientists. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene design and synthesis processes and new protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com.

DNA2.0 today introduced Library Designer, an online tool created to make the process of designing and ordering the company’s Protein Variant Libraries easy and seamless. DNA2.0’s variant libraries are delivered ready for screening to identify variants with improved or altered function, which is key to engineering novel proteins. Library Designer helps to ensure that researchers get the right library for their research needs.

Designing a library can be a complicated process. Mistakes can easily happen during design and data transmission, and manual approaches often overlook certain design errors. Library Designer allows researchers the complete freedom to design libraries to their exact specification while checking for sequence accuracy and restriction sites automatically. Library Designer lets DNA2.0 customers visualize the total diversity of the library they are ordering and enables them to specify the delivered product. Finally, Library Designer ensures that the large amount of data embedded in a library order remains intact, guaranteeing that customers receive exactly the library they need to move their research forward.

“DNA2.0 is dedicated to providing our customers the highest level of service, which means ensuring precision accuracy with their data,” said Claes Gustafsson, cofounder and Chief Commercial Officer of DNA2.0. “With Library Designer, we are pleased to be able to apply our scientific resources and expertise to help our customers realize their goals more quickly and efficiently.”

The emerging field of protein engineering offers an extraordinary opportunity to design novel proteins that can be utilized for a wide range of purposes such as creating antibody-based therapeutics or specialized enzymes for energy production or to remove toxins from the environment. By utilizing libraries to screen for desired activity through directed evolution, researchers can more quickly and efficiently engineer useful proteins. DNA2.0’s sequence libraries are powerful tools for structure-function relationship analysis or for modifying the activities of proteins or DNA regulatory regions.

DNA2.0’s Library Design Specialists can help determine the best library or series of libraries to suit the needs of a particular project or research goal. DNA2.0 Protein Variant Libraries are customized for individual research needs and are delivered with the same industry-leading speed and customer service that DNA2.0 guarantees for its complete line of bioengineering solutions.

 

About DNA2.0

DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider. Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 offers an integrated pipeline of solutions for the research community, including gene design, optimization, synthesis and cloning, as well as platforms for protein and strain engineering. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes—based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 is by far the most published synthetic gene vendor, providing expert support to and collaboration with scientists. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene design and synthesis processes and new protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com.

DNA2.0 today announced the availability of the company’s Bioinformatics Services, a range of custom computational solutions that can help quickly answer research questions and successfully move projects forward. This transparent, hourly fee-for-service enables researchers to enlist DNA2.0’s in-house expert capacity, eliminating the need for your own cumbersome bioinformatics infrastructure. DNA2.0 Bioinformatics Services consulting is ideal for small, nimble operations that benefit from instant access to bioinformatics expertise.

Access to efficient gene synthesis and increasingly refined gene-design tools has accelerated protein biochemistry research, as it enables a quick and powerful way to test computational protein structure-function predictions in the wet lab. Biochemical projects that used to require deep expertise in molecular biology and computational bioinformatics are increasingly accessible, and with DNA2.0 bioinformatics technology and expertise, mathematical and computational approaches are now within the grasp of any research entity, regardless of size or budget.

“Achieve your research goals using computationally intelligent techniques rather than brute force,” said Claes Gustafsson, cofounder and Chief Commercial Officer of DNA2.0. “DNA2.0 custom Bioinformatics Services offer you direct access to our years of expertise, providing an easy and affordable means of accessing sophisticated and time-saving bioinformatics results for routine use in your research endeavors.”

DNA2.0 can create a custom bioinformatics approach for any research program to ensure success. Key service offerings include:

  • Data mining, machine learning and pattern recognition
  • Sequence and structure alignment
  • Gene finding and gene expression analysis
  • Protein structure prediction
  • Comparative genomics analysis
  • Genome-wide functional association studies

 

About DNA2.0

DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider. Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 offers an integrated pipeline of solutions for the research community, including gene design, optimization, synthesis and cloning, as well as platforms for protein and strain engineering. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes—based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 is by far the most published synthetic gene vendor, providing expert support to and collaboration with scientists. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene design and synthesis processes and new protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com.

DNA2.0 today introduced the GPS Bioengineering Platform: GeneGPS™, GenomeGPS™ and ProteinGPS™ — a suite of proprietary technologies for engineering optimized genes, genomes and proteins. The company also announced the issuance of US patent 8,126,653 “Synthetic Nucleic Acids for Expression of Encoded Proteins.” This is the third patent supporting the GeneGPS technology, which uses heuristics and systematic variance in combination with efficient gene synthesis to control and maximize recombinant protein expression in any host.

Biology is inherently an information science operating within a mega-dimensional space of discreet nodes of biological function. Each node corresponds to functional units such as genes, proteins, pathways or organisms. DNA2.0’s GPS Bioengineering Platform applies modern engineering principles, including mathematical nonlinear systems modeling and optimization algorithms, to navigate biological hyperspace in order to determine optimal solutions across multiple nodes of biological function.

“At DNA2.0 we have modified the standard algorithms for engineering complex systems to work with biological processes,“ said Jeremy Minshull, cofounder and CEO of DNA2.0. “No other commercial or in-house method embodies the sophisticated design approach that DNA2.0 employs with the GPS Bioengineering Platform. With the GPS system, researchers save time and money, while quickly getting to meaningful results.“

Patented GeneGPS Technology: Optimize for Expression
Expression of recombinant proteins is vitally important for modern biotechnology. Unfortunately, many proteins are difficult to express outside their original host and frequently hard to express at sufficient levels even within their native host. Optimizing a gene for expression by designing the most effective coding sequence is therefore essential. Gene synthesis allows researchers the flexibility to, in principle, design any gene sequences for their application. But which gene sequence to design? Despite the high value of gene sequence design, most currently used design algorithms are based on anecdotal evidence that is at best statistically insignificant. GeneGPS™ instead takes a proven, patented approach to designing the most effective coding sequence through heuristic investigation of the relevant variables.

DNA2.0‘s new patent—8,126,653—describes how gene design variables are encoded in the synthetic gene to maximize protein expression. This patent, in conjunction with previously issued patents 7,561,973 and 7,561,972, form the foundation for GeneGPS. GeneGPS is offered as a service to DNA2.0’s regular gene synthesis customers without reach-through licenses of any kind.

“What our customers need is reliable expression,” said Mark Welch, Director of Gene Design and co-inventor on the patent. “A gene that has been optimized using GeneGPS algorithms for maximal protein expression often yields between 10- and 100-fold more protein than one designed using the algorithms of our competitors or the natural sequence. This increase immediately translates to saving months of time on painstaking optimization studies or being able to use much smaller culture volumes. In several instances, DNA2.0’s GPS design technology has enabled projects that otherwise would have had to be terminated due to lack of protein expression.”

ProteinGPS: Design Directly for the Final Application
ProteinGPS is the protein engineering system that quickly and efficiently designs proteins with improved characteristics. This technology is covered by US patent 8,005,620 issued to DNA2.0 and additional pending applications.

“By utilizing ProteinGPS, you can optimize your protein directly for function in the final application,” said Claes Gustafsson, cofounder and Chief Commercial Officer of DNA2.0 and co-inventor of the company’s GPS patent portfolio. “Protein GPS uses the same type of underlying mathematical tools as GeneGPS to identify correlations that allow you to screen small numbers of variants and do away with high-throughput (HTP) screens, saving researchers years of time and millions of dollars.”

 

About DNA2.0

DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider. Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 offers an integrated pipeline of solutions for the research community, including gene design, optimization, synthesis and cloning, as well as platforms for protein and strain engineering. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes—based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 is by far the most published synthetic gene vendor, providing expert support to and collaboration with scientists. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene design and synthesis processes and new protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com.

Pfenex Inc., an industry leader in protein expression through the Pf?nex Expression Technology™ platform, announced today that it has entered into a research collaboration with bioengineering solutions provider, DNA2.0. As part of the collaboration, DNA2.0 will work with Pfenex Inc. to develop an optimized algorithm and process for the design and synthesis of genes to be expressed in Pseudomonas fluorescens, the microorganism used in the Pf?nex Expression Technology™ platform.

“Pfenex Inc. is dedicated to the rapid and reliable production of high quality recombinant proteins for our partners,” said Dr Bertrand Liang, CEO of Pfenex Inc. “Through this collaboration, two industry leaders will leverage their respective capabilities to advance the Pf?nex Expression Technology™ platform. We are very excited about this project with our long-standing gene synthesis partner, DNA2.0, because it allows us to enhance the capabilities of our technology which will enable us to increase the overall value proposition to our partners.”

“DNA2.0 is the industry leader in gene design and expression optimization,” said Jeremy Minshull, PhD., cofounder and CEO of DNA2.0. “Our patented GeneGPS™ technology is based on experiment data from over-expressed synthetic genes, resulting in up to a 100-fold increase in protein expression. We have successfully optimized expression for a variety of hosts, including bacteria, yeast, fungus, plant and mammalian, and we are excited to work with Pfenex to extend our expertise to the P. fluorescens system.”


About DNA2.0

DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider. Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 offers an integrated pipeline of solutions for the research community, including gene design, optimization, synthesis and cloning, as well as platforms for protein and strain engineering. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes—based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 is by far the most published synthetic gene vendor, providing expert support to and collaboration with scientists. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene design and synthesis processes and new protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com.

 

About Pfenex Inc.

Pfenex Inc. is a protein production company leveraging the unique and powerful Pf?nex Expression Technology™ platform based on the microorganism, Pseudomonas fluorescens, for the production of research proteins, reagent proteins, biosimilars and innovator biopharmaceuticals. For more information please visit www.pfenex.com.

DNA2.0 today announced the selection of Cosmo Bio Co., Ltd. as the non-exclusive distributor in Japan for DNA2.0’s complete line of bioengineering solutions, including gene synthesis powered by GeneGPS™ for maximal protein expression as well as the company’s protein engineering solutions—ProteinGPS™ for rational protein design and Protein Variant Libraries for directed evolution. Cosmo Bio is a well-established distributor of reagents, instruments and services for researchers in academia, government and the biopharma industry, with over 20 years experience and 200 sales outlets throughout Japan.

“We are pleased to bring DNA2.0’s innovative approaches to gene design and optimization, gene synthesis and protein engineering to Japan through Cosmo Bio,” said Claes Gustafsson, COO and cofounder of DNA2.0. “The life science research and drug discovery community in Japan represents a significant market opportunity for DNA2.0, and Cosmo Bio’s customer-centered reputation makes it the natural choice to provide in-country services and support tailored to Japanese research needs.”

International customers can access DNA2.0’s Ph.D. experts in the fields of protein expression, gene synthesis and bioinformatics directly, however this distribution agreement with Cosmo Bio offers Japanese customers added flexibility and time savings, along with service and support in Japanese. All DNA2.0 sequences, tools and solutions are made at the company’s state-of-the-art facility in Menlo Park, ensuring the greatest security for intellectual property.


About DNA2.0

DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider. Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 offers an integrated pipeline of solutions for the research community, including gene design, optimization, synthesis and cloning, as well as platforms for protein and strain engineering. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes—based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 is by far the most published synthetic gene vendor, providing expert support to and collaboration with scientists. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene design and synthesis processes and new protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif.


About Cosmo Bio

Cosmo Bio delivers the most up-to-date technical information and provides products made by world-class manufacturers to laboratories at educational, research and testing institutes working in the field of life science throughout Japan and around the world. The company takes pride in a service that fulfills the needs of our customers with extensive product lines and related information. Making full use of an international network, coupled with highly reliable information, Cosmo Bio supports the life science community with the high levels of commitment and responsibility required to maintain the trust of valued customers. For more information, please visit www.cosmobio.co.jp .

DNA2.0 today introduced a complete line of Protein Variant Librariesdesigned to help researchers better engineer proteins. Four key library options —Alanine Scanning, Single Site Saturation, Combinatorial Site and Antibody—are suited for the most common methods of protein engineering, although DNA2.0 can produce additional libraries, such as Modular, Truncation or Random Mutagenesis Libraries, depending on research needs. Libraries are delivered ready for screening to identify variants with improved or altered function.

The emerging field of protein engineering offers an extraordinary opportunity to design novel proteins that can be utilized for a wide range of purposes such as creating antibody-based therapeutics or specialized enzymes for energy production or to remove toxins from the environment. By utilizing libraries to screen for desired activity through directed evolution, researchers can more quickly and efficiently engineer useful proteins. DNA2.0’s sequence libraries are powerful tools for structure-function relationship analysis or for modifying the activities of proteins or DNA regulatory regions.

“DNA2.0’s Protein Variant Libraries are tailored to your particular research question, whether you want to improve your protein yield with a Combinatorial Site Library or increase the affinity or specificity of an antibody with an Antibody Library,” said Claes Gustafsson, COO and cofounder of DNA2.0. “While DNA2.0‘s ProteinGPS™ system for rational protein design is the preferred approach to protein engineering when screening capacity is limited, we are pleased to offer the "exibility and affordability of our Protein Variant Libraries for our customers who are best served by a directed evolution approach.”

Each of DNA2.0’s core family of Protein Variant Libraries is designed to tackle a specific research question:

  • Alanine Scanning Libraries can determine which amino acid residues are critical for protein function. Each alanine substitution allows examination of the contribution of an individual amino acid sidechain to the functionality of the protein.
  • Single Site Saturation Libraries identify advantageous substitutions at a specific single site within a protein for enhanced protein properties.
  • Combinatorial Site Libraries test multiple positions with a smaller amount of variation at each position. Typically, 2-12 positions with 2-5 substitutions at each position are investigated. This library is best used to screen a small region of a protein, or to follow up on improved amino acid substitutions identified in a Single Site Saturation Library.
  • Antibody Libraries introduce complete or tailored degeneracy into CDRs of one or more genes to increase the affinity and specificity of an antibody.

DNA2.0's library technologies platform has been successfully applied by Adimab, Inc , (Lebanon, NH) to produce proprietary libraries that replicate the human immune system. Adimab is then able to move from antigen to purified, full-length human IgGs at unprecedented speed.

In addition to the primary libraries, DNA2.0 offers Modular Libraries to allow the building of new genetic modules or pathways from basic DNA parts, Random Mutagenesis Libraries to highlight changes in function with a high degree of variability and a Truncation Library to identify protein domain borders or functional protein size requirements.

DNA2.0’s Library Design Specialists can help determine the best library or series of libraries to suit the needs of a particular project or research goal. DNA2.0 Protein Variant Libraries are customized for individual research needs and are delivered with the same industry-leading speed and customer service that DNA2.0 guarantees for its complete line of bioengineering solutions.


About DNA2.0, Inc.

DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider. Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 offers an integrated pipeline of solutions for the research community, including gene design, optimization, synthesis and cloning, as well as platforms for protein and strain engineering. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes—based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 is by far the most published synthetic gene vendor, providing expert support to and collaboration with scientists. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene design and synthesis processes and new protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com.

Achieve your most import resolution for 2012—to work smarter, not harder— by letting DNA2.0 bioengineering solutions save you time and money and achieve better results. Whether you are looking to make the upgrade from cloning to synthesis, want the peace of mind that comes with guaranteed expression or need a variant library to engineer protein function, it’s time to make the leap to DNA2.0.


While you consider all the reasons to make the switch, check out the ever-growing list of leading scientists that have already already had their breakthroughs with a little help from DNA2.0: Success Stories

 

1. Save Time—Don't let the competition get ahead of you

Every day saved in the process of accessing your genetic constructs is a day gained on the competition. First to publish is also first to get the next grant. First to patent is also first to get the next VC round. DNA2.0 Rush Service offers custom synthesized genes up to 1kb in size guaranteed to ship in 5 business days—the fastest available. Our regular service is an industry-leading 8-10 day turnaround.


2. Focus on Innovation—Our approach is light years ahead of any other provider

You’re not in the lab to clone genes, you’re there to do science. Don't spend months fiddling with expression vectors, tags, culture conditions and temperatures. With maximal protein expression powered by our patented GeneGPS™ algorithms, you can focus on the critical experiments that advance your research.


3. Reliable, High-Protein Expression Yields with GeneGPS

No point in getting a synthetic gene if it does not express your protein. Breakthrough research by DNA2.0 has identified the design principles by which codons are used to maximize protein expression. The peer-reviewed, published research, funded by the National Science Foundation, has produced a set of design algorithms that reliably offers maximized expression yields for heterologous protein expression.


4. Instantly Scale Up or Down

You need 1,000 genes today and then nothing for 12 months? You need a simple gene or multisite combinatorial library? How about synthesizing an entire genome? No problem. DNA2.0 handles large and small orders with equal efficiency. No need to scale your in-house molecular biology resources to fit the ups and down of your research. And DNA2.0 is the industry leader at synthesizing long and/or difficult sequences, from 200 kb and up!


5. Answers to Protein Questions

When your research needs to go beyond the everyday, DNA2.0 has the expertise to take you to the next level. Utilize Protein Variant Libraries for structure-function relationship analysis, or modifying the activities of proteins or DNA regulatory regions. Harness the power of synthetic biology to create Antibody Libraries with diversity in one or more CDRs. DNA2.0 makes libraries in several formats to meet different research needs. Libraries are delivered ready for screening to identify variants with altered function.


6. Improve on Nature

Any sequence you can imagine is available with synthetic genes. DNA2.0's rapid and efficient custom gene synthesis allows you to redesign entire gene sequences to maximize the likelihood of high protein expression, easy genetic manipulation, minimal promoter leakiness and convenient protein purification.


7. Avoid Mistakes

Why risk losing time on mistakes that could happen in-house? Why go with bargain synthesis providers that can’t guarantee strong protein expression? When you ask DNA2.0 to handle your gene synthesis, we make sure you get the genes you need, every time, on time. Never again curse the Gods of PCR.


8. Get to the Point—Engineer the Right Protein

Find the protein activity you need with ProteinGPS™—the protein engineering system that quickly and efficiently designs proteins with improved characteristics. ProteinGPS relies on identifying key amino acid substitutions through bioinformatics-based mining of available sequence space and combining such substitutions in an information maximized variant dataset (usually less than 100 unique gene variants). At that scale determining the activity for the commercially relevant function in an indicative assay can be readily performed. By optimizing directly for function in the final application, you can save years of time and millions of dollars.


9. Talk to a Scientist

Instant access to expertise in the fields of protein expression, gene synthesis and the voodoo of cloning. We at DNA2.0 have published extensively in the area of technology development and new applications of synthetic biology. DNA2.0 is a resource and research partner for accurate and innovative, useful solutions. Want an actual person to answer when you have a question? Let our Customer Service Ph.D.s be an extension of your lab.


10. Airtight IP Protection

DNA2.0 understands the value of your intellectual property. DNA2.0 never outsources your gene synthesis orders to facilities in countries with lax IP protection. DNA2.0 synthesizes all orders at our state-of-the-art facility in Menlo Park, California. You always own full rights to your material.


11. Groundbreaking Gene Design and Assembly Tool—Free!

What could be easier than using DNA2.0‘s patented drag-and-drop sequence functionality to design genes de novo? DNA2.0's free Gene Designer enables you to put your imagination to work and guides you through every step, from inspiration to synthesized gene. Simplify your work by utilizing preassembled and validated BIOFAB parts from the Gene Designer Toolbox. With a tool like Gene Designer doing the heavy lifting, you spend more time focused on your research.


12. Freedom of Expression with the pJexpress family of vectors

DNA2.0 synthetic genes are available in vectors that are immediately usable for bacterial, mammalian and yeast protein expression. Cloning into these vectors is quickly completed in-house and the constructs are provided without IP restrictions.

 

Break through with the help of DNA2.0 in 2012. This is the one resolution that will help you succeed with the all the others on your research list. Call or email today for a quote: info@DNA20.com or toll free at +1 877 DNA TOGO.


About DNA2.0, Inc.

DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider. Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 offers an integrated pipeline of solutions for the research community, including gene design, optimization, synthesis and cloning, as well as platforms for protein and strain engineering. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes—based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 is by far the most published synthetic gene vendor, providing expert support to and collaboration with scientists. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene design and synthesis processes and new protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com.

DNA2.0 the leading provider of bioengineering solutions, today announced the integration of the Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL) into the company's groundbreaking gene design and assembly tool, Gene Designer. SBOL is a synthetic biology standard exchange format that allows scientists to share, store, explore and publish genetic elements created through computer design. This newly-released language forms the basis for Gene Designer's integration of genetic parts from BIOFAB and enables a new feature in the application called Diagram. Diagram provides a clean visualization interface of designed sequences and eases scientific collaboration by enabling graphic exports of sequences.

Biological design tools such as Gene Designer are playing a key role in the evolution of biology from a discovery-based science to an engineering discipline, where individuals from diverse technical backgrounds interact with genetic information. In order to make these tools more efficient between scientists and across disciplines, it is critical that companies, labs and individual scientists are able to share and store hierarchical sequence information in a format that is consistent, stable and accurately annotated. SBOL is the first such standardized information exchange framework created specifically for bioengineering. SBOL's development began in 2008 with a small grant from Microsoft, and since then it has grown to include a wide consortium of individuals, public institutions and commercial enterprises both in the US and Europe. SBOL version 1.0 was released in October, 2011.

"Only through the integration of standardized, open source tools and datasets from the public domain with the emerging synthetic biology industry will we be able to build the framework for the next manufacturing revolution: bioengineering. I'm excited to see the early adoption of SBOL and BIOFAB by DNA2.0 with their Gene Designer program. The ability to create, share and utilize standardized high quality biological building blocks is key to the advancement of synthetic biology" said BIOFAB Director Drew Endy, of Stanford Bioengineering and the BioBricks Foundation."

DNA2.0 developed the free software application, Gene Designer, to help scientists create genes with a graphically rich computer-aided design tool that enables bioengineers to easily manipulate and visualize DNA elements such as promoters, terminators, fusion tags and vector components. Gene Designer's SBOL compliance, along with the new Diagram feature, makes it easier than ever for scientists to share accurate, consistent sequence data across any enterprise. DNA2.0 is committed to ensure full SBOL compatibility as the field of bioengineering and synthetic biology grows.

"The growth of the bioengineering industry enabled by synthetic biology and gene synthesis requires a new software platform for interacting with designed genetic information," said Alan Villalobos, Director of Synthetic Biology at DNA2.0. "We are proud to be part of the SBOL development team that is building the first industrial framework for bioengineering."

 

About DNA2.0

DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider. Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 offers an integrated pipeline of solutions for the research community, including gene design, optimization, synthesis and cloning, as well as platforms for protein and strain engineering. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes—based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 is by far the most published synthetic gene vendor, providing expert support to and collaboration with scientists. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene design and synthesis processes and new protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0's tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com.

Bioengineering solutions provider DNA2.0 in Menlo Park has announced that Walter Tian has joined the company as Senior Vice President for Marketing and Corporate Strategy in order to help the company meet growing customer demand. An MBA graduate of Northeastern University, Mr. Tian has more than 25 years of experience as a marketing executive in biotech and the life sciences industry. Mr. Tian spent nearly five years leading a global business team focused on siRNA and miRNA portfolio development at QIAGEN. Most recently, Mr. Tian was Vice President for Marketing at OriGene, where he was instrumental in helping transition the company's focus from gene products to complete gene research solutions.

 

About DNA2.0

DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider. Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 provides an integrated pipeline of solutions for the research community, including gene design, optimization, synthesis and cloning, as well as platforms for protein and strain engineering. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes—based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 is by far the most published synthetic gene vendor, providing expert support to and collaboration with scientists. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly ef"cient gene design and synthesis processes and new protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com

DNA2.0, the leading provider of bioengineering solutions, today announced the expansion of the company’s industry-leading family of expression vectors with the introduction of pJexpress Pichia. These vectors are free from intellectual property restrictions and are immediately usable for P. pastoris protein expression. DNA2.0’s pJexpress Pichia vector orders are processed with the same speed and PhD-level support that customers have come to rely upon from the world’s fastest provider of synthetic genes.

“We continue to expand our pJexpress line of protein expression vectors to meet our customers’ research and development needs,” said Claes Gustafsson, Chief Operating Officer at DNA2.0. ”Controllable, consistent and strong protein expression is your goal regardless of the type of research in which you are engaged, and freedom from the headaches associated with patent licensing saves you critical money and time. Together with DNA2.0’s P. pastoris gene optimization technology, the pJexpress Pichia vectors from the Glieder lab offer the most integrated and efficient path from virtual sequence to expressed protein.”

The pJexpress Pichia protein expression vectors were constructed by the world-leading P. pastoris laboratory of Anton Glieder at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Graz University of Technology, in collaboration with the Research Centre of Applied Biocatalysis and VTU Technology. DNA2.0’s pJexpress Pichia vectors offer exceptional levels of protein expression with inducible or constitutive expression-with or without secretion tags-that are free from the constraints of intellectual property.

“We are excited to distribute our set of Pichia expression vectors to the scientific community,” said Toni Glieder, Professor at Graz University of Technology. “DNA2.0’s unique gene optimization technology for P. pastoris is a nice fit for the expression vectors we have developed internally at TU Graz, and the combination offers an unbeatable expression system for one of the most industrially relevant protein-production hosts available today.”

pJexpress Pichia Features:

  • pJexpress Pichia vectors offer equal or higher levels of protein expression than comparable vectors.
  • Free from IP restrictions
  • Resistance marker choice: Zeocin (selection in both E. coli and P. pastoris) or Kanamycin (E. coli)/Geneticin (P. pastoris)
  • pUC ORI for E. coli
  • Alpha factor Signal Sequence available for secreted expression
  • Promoter choice of AOX1 for methanol inducible expression or GAP1 for constitutive protein expression

IP Protection and Superior Customer Service
While many other gene synthesis companies offshore manufacturing to areas of the world with lax IP protection, all DNA2.0 genes are made at the company’s state-of-the-art facility in Menlo Park, thus ensuring the greatest security for patented or confidential sequences. DNA2.0 guarantees researchers high-quality synthetic genes, delivered on time, every time.

 

About DNA2.0

DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider. Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 provides an integrated pipeline of solutions for the research community, including gene design, optimization, synthesis and cloning, as well as platforms for protein and strain engineering. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes—based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 is by far the most published synthetic gene vendor, providing expert support to and collaboration with scientists. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene design and synthesis processes and new protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com

DNA2.0, the leading provider of bioengineering solutions, today announced that the company has obtained a patent for ProteinGPS™, the company’s radically different protein engineering system, which enables bioengineers to design proteins directly for function in the final application. With ProteinGPS, researchers can save years of time and millions of dollars by engineering for a particular function through the use of proprietary optimization algorithms, rather than the “shot in the dark” approach of high-throughput screens and related methods.

US Patent 8,005,620 covers methods using systematic search and exploitation of amino acid sequence-enzyme function relationships in protein engineering. This proprietary technology enables rapid and resource-efficient engineering of proteins for any measurable feature. The technology circumvents the need for surrogate screening—a common problem for protein engineering—and instead allows for engineering of protein properties directly in the final commercial assay. The method claimed in the patent can also be extended to include RNA engineering, pathway engineering and genome engineering. DNA2.0 is already employing the technology on a multitude of projects with several industrial partners

“This patent and its related applications for ProteinGPS provides DNA2.0 with a clear advantage in the field of protein engineering, which was previously dominated by various random high throughput searches for improved proteins,” said Jeremy Minshull, CEO of DNA2.0 and co-inventor of the patent. “This technology allows us to optimize a protein exactly for the property that is required rather than for a related function that is easier to screen. Instead of using billions of assays, we can use a few hundred assays to get a much improved and more precise novel protein. In project after project we’ve seen how incredibly successful our approach has been.”

Engineering of biological systems is critical for applications as diverse as laundry detergents, therapeutic antibodies and drought resistant crops. Traditionally, biological systems have been optimized by randomly mutating a target and screening large numbers of variants or by classic breeding approaches where reasonably good parents are combined to generate improved progeny. The ProteinGPS technology developed by DNA2.0 combines engineering algorithms that have been modified for biological systems with state of the art gene synthesis to efficiently identify, synthesize and characterize information-rich nodes in sequence-function space. The resulting data is used to build and validate models describing the relative importance of identified amino acid substitutions.

“Today‘s protein engineering patent joins DNA2.0‘s collection of broad patents for gene engineering, codon optimization and gene design software—key intellectual properties for transforming biotechnology from a discovery-based science to an engineering platform,” said Claes Gustafsson, COO of DNA2.0 “Our vision is to enable on-demand production of new, high-value materials, devices and capabilities directly within biological systems, and this issued patent represents an important milestone towards that goal.”

 

About DNA2.0

DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider. Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 provides an integrated pipeline of solutions for the research community, including gene design, optimization, synthesis and cloning, as well as platforms for protein and strain engineering. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes—based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 is by far the most published synthetic gene vendor, providing expert support to and collaboration with scientists. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene design and synthesis processes and new protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com

DNA2.0 today announced that the first collection of biological building blocks characterized by the BIOFAB International Open Facility Advancing Biotechnology (BIOFAB) are now available for use in the design and assembly of genes within DNA2.0’s Gene Designer software. The free-to-use BIOFAB genetic parts are distributed as virtual sequences in the newly minted gene marketplace embedded within DNA2.0’s gene design and assembly application. This “app store” for molecular biology and biotechnology provides scientists and bioengineers access to powerful preassembled and validated DNA elements for making genetic constructs with Gene Designer. DNA2.0 becomes the first commercial vendor to provide access-through a few clicks of a mouse-to the initial collection of biological parts developed by BIOFAB.

Synthetic biology is fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline, where genetic sequences are designed and manufactured to produce new chemicals, processes or tools derived directly from engineered cells. For synthetic biology to progress, development times and costs must be constrained through the use of standardized parts and common infrastructure. BIOFAB’s mission is to streamline the process of engineering genetic systems so that researchers can better mix and match pre-made DNA parts-e.g. control elements such as promoters or transcription factors-to reduce the development time currently spent on combining and validating multi-functional DNA elements.

“The BIOFAB parts that are now available through Gene Designer are part of a pilot collection of transcription and translation controllers-and also include a first set of engineered terminators,” said BIOFAB Director Drew Endy, of Stanford Bioengineering and the BioBricks Foundation. “With the pilot collection we’ve made and characterized all combinations of the most frequently used promoters and 5’ UTRs in order to quantitatively describe how the genetic part performance varies across changing DNA contexts. This data allows us to estimate both the primary activity of a part-e.g., the strength of a promoter-and also the quality of a part-e.g., how much its strength will vary across contexts. We are thrilled to collaborate with DNA2.0 in making this important information freely available to dedicated researchers who are endeavoring to make the world better by working with biology.”

DNA2.0 developed the free software application, Gene Designer, to help scientists create genes with a graphically rich computer-aided design tool that enables bioengineers to easily manipulate and visualize DNA elements such as promoters, terminators, fusion tags and vector components. By embedding a marketplace of third-party, pretested parts, the process of creating optimized or novel genes is greatly enhanced, and researchers save precious development time and money. Furthermore, the creation of a dynamic gene marketplace offers the scientific community a place to develop and share new biological parts. DNA2.0 will continue to expand the catalog of DNA components available within Gene Designer and looks forward to partnering with a wide range of developers to offer users a rich marketplace of preassembled DNA elements.

“BIOFAB’s development of these specialized ‘nuts and bolts’ is a critical step fueling the bioengineering revolution, and we are excited to be the first company to put them in the hands of scientists,” said Claes Gustafsson, COO and cofounder of DNA2.0. “Key to the development and functioning of Gene Designer is the concept of a toolbox of virtual DNA elements that can be mixed and matched or saved and used repeatedly-which harmonizes with BIOFAB’s approach of creating broadly useful collections of standard biological parts. Offering BIOFAB parts through Gene Designer is a natural fit.”

 

About DNA2.0, Inc.

DNA2.0 is the leading bioengineering solutions provider. Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 provides an integrated pipeline of solutions for the research community, including gene design, optimization, synthesis and cloning, as well as platforms for protein and strain engineering. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes-based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 is by far the most published synthetic gene vendor, providing expert support to and collaboration with scientists. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene design and synthesis processes and new protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0’s tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com.


About The BIOFAB

The BIOFAB: International Open Facility Advancing Biotechnology (BIOFAB) was founded in December 2009 as the world's first biological design-build facility. This professionally staffed public-benefit facility was initiated by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and is led by bioengineers from UC Berkeley and Stanford University. The BIOFAB is operated in partnership with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), the BioBricks Foundation (BBF), and the Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center (SynBERC). BIOFAB projects are designed to produce broadly useful collections of standard biological parts that can be made freely available to both academic and commercial users, while also enabling the rapid design and prototyping of genetic constructs needed to support specific needs of partner efforts such as SynBERC Testbeds. The BIOFAB will thus also represent the first significant focused investment in the development of open technology platforms underlying and supporting the next generation of biotechnology. Once fully operational the BIOFAB facility will be capable of producing tens of thousands of professionally engineered high quality standard biological parts each year.

For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com or email Claes Gustafsson, COO: cgustafsson@DNA20.com.

DNA2.0, today announced that it will offer third-party genetic constructs through the company’s groundbreaking gene assembly and design application, Gene Designer. The Rhamex™ protein expression systems from Xbrane Bioscience will be the first commercial constructs that users will be able to access and order directly through Gene Designer. In addition to Xbrane’s Rhamex expression system, DNA2.0 will begin to offer a wide range of standard biological parts so that users may easily create genetic constructs from standard building blocks with Gene Designer. “We’re creating a marketplace for synthetic biology, with Gene Designer serving as the “app store” for molecular biologists,” said Dr. Claes Gustafsson, Chief Operating Officer at DNA2.0. “Not only does Gene Designer offer a powerful design application with rich graphics and a patented drag-and-drop functionality, but now users will have access to license powerful preassembled and validated constructs such as Xbrane’s expression system, fundamentally streamlining the process of creating and purchasing genes.”

Xbrane’s bacterial protein expression system is tightly controlled by rhamnose and enables high expression yields, even for toxic and otherwise challenging proteins. Xbrane’s Rhamex system is tightly regulated at the individual cell level and at the same time capable of producing high protein yields of bioactive and correctly folded proteins. The Rhamex system is E. coli strain independent and can also be used in other Gram-negative bacteria.

“While research scientists and production technologists are often limited in their choice of bacterial expression systems for the production of toxic proteins, we are excited to partner with DNA2.0 to offer our affordable, user-friendly Rhamex expression systems through Gene Designer,” said Lykke Abdon, Director of Marketing of Xbrane Bioscience. “We are entering a new age of bioengineering that relies on the availability of the kind of preassembled, specialized DNA building blocks that Xbrane makes, and DNA2.0’s Gene Designer offers an exceptional marketplace for sharing, designing and constructing novel genetic constructs.”

DNA2.0 intends to expand the catalogue of DNA components available within Gene Designer and looks forward to partnering with a wide range of developers to offer users a rich marketplace of preassembled constructs—making the design and assembly of genes faster and easier than ever before.


About DNA2.0, Inc.

Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 is the leading gene synthesis and protein engineering company. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes, based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene synthesis process and new protein optimization technologies. The tools and applications brought to market by DNA2.0 are transforming biology into an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif.


About Xbrane Bioscience

Xbrane Bioscience develops and commercializes platforms for the efficient and cost-effective production of proteins and vaccines. The company was founded early 2008, as a spin-off company from the world-leading Center for Biomembrane Research at the Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics of Stockholm University, Sweden. The company has developed and sells two bacterial based protein expression systems providing unprecedented versatility, Xbrane Lemo System™ and Xbrane Rhamex System™. Xbrane Bioscience is currently further expanding its portfolio of innovative technologies, including platforms for the development of multivalent vaccines and the efficient production of toxic and unstable proteins. For more information about Xbrane Bioscience visit www.xbrane.com .

For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com or email Claes Gustafsson, COO: cgustafsson@DNA20.com .

For more information about Xbrane visit www.xbrane.com or email Lykke Abdon: lykke@xbrane.com

DNA2.0, the leading gene synthesis and protein engineering company, announced today that it has moved to a new, state-of-the-art facility in the heart of Silicon Valley and the Menlo Park technology corridor. DNA2.0 chose the 23,000 square foot space to accommodate the company's rapid growth—especially in the development of gene design and optimization technologies.

Menlo Park has been DNA2.0's home since the company's inception, and we have benefitted greatly from our proximity to the respected research institutions of the Bay Area, as well the region's leadership in technological innovation,” said Jeremy Minshull, PhD., CEO of DNA2.0. Our new facility provides an excellent venue for ramping up our research and development efforts while continuing to provide the quick, dependable service and support that our customers around the globe rely on.”

To reflect the company's growth, DNA2.0 has also restructured its management team, naming Dr. Jeremy Minshull as CEO. Dr. Claes Gustafsson has been named Chief Operating Officer and will continue to be responsible for the company's external communications, sales and marketing. Dr. Jon Ness will lead DNA2.0's technology development as Chief Scientific Officer while Dr. Sridhar Govindarajan has been named Chief Information Officer for his leadership role in the company's automation and engineering efforts.

IP Protection and Superior Customer Service

While many other gene synthesis companies offshore manufacturing to areas of the world with lax IP protection, all DNA2.0 genes are made at the company's state-of-the-art facility in Menlo Park, thus ensuring the greatest security for patented or confidential sequences. DNA2.0 guarantees researchers high-quality synthetic genes, delivered on time, every time.

 

About DNA2.0, Inc.

Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 is the leading gene synthesis and protein engineering company. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes, based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 has provided genes to thousands of customers, for whom it has synthesized many millions of base pairs. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene synthesis process and new protein optimization technologies. The tools and applications brought to market by DNA2.0 are transforming biology into an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com or email Claes Gustafsson, COO: cgustafsson@DNA20.com.

DNA2.0, the leading gene synthesis and protein engineering company, has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to further the company’s research into gene optimization algorithms for protein expression, this time in mammalian cells. The grant "administered through the Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR)" will enable DNA2.0 to extend the company’s proven gene optimization technology to production hosts for human therapeutics.

The development of recombinant DNA technologies in the late ’70s launched the biotechnology industry by enabling the production of valuable therapeutic proteins in mammalian cell lines. Despite the early successes of biotechnology, protein expression of recombinant genes remains a key limiting step. The cost of manufacturing protein pharmaceuticals in mammalian cells can be substantial ($1,000-10,000 per gram), and in the face of the expiration of many of the key patents for protein pharmaceuticals, reducing costs is increasingly important for the protein pharmaceutical industry. DNA2.0 intends to use the NSF/SBIR grant funding to apply the gene optimization technology already developed by DNA2.0 for unicellular organisms (E. coli, yeast, etc.) to mammalian production systems.

"By applying experimental design methods borrowed from other engineering disciplines, we can enable automated gene design that ensures consistent high-protein expression in your host of choice," said Mark Welch, PhD., Director of Gene Design for DNA2.0. "Mammalian cells are often critical for the production of fully functional mammalian proteins, which account for the majority of high-value protein therapeutics and therapeutic targets. Poor expression yield is often a barrier to the study and production of such proteins."

Efficient gene synthesis technology allows the complete redesign of any gene to meet new engineering requirements. DNA2.0 is using its expertise in machine learning algorithms to identify the critical variables of gene design and their impact on protein expression. A multivariate array of genes are synthesized in DNA2.0’s state-of-the-art gene manufacturing facility in Menlo Park, Calif. and then tested and quantified for protein expression. The resulting mega-dimensional sequence-expression landscape is modeled, and a resulting algorithm describing and quantifying the relevant design variables are utilized to create highly-expressive proteins.

"What our customers need is reliable expression. By cracking the code on gene optimization for protein expression, DNA2.0 can design genes for that are guaranteed for high expression yields," said Jeremy Minshull, PhD., CEO of DNA2.0. "This NSF grant validates the breakthrough research that DNA2.0 has already generated and solidifies our industry-leading position on the forefront of research into gene design."

 

About DNA2.0, Inc.

Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 is the leading gene synthesis and protein engineering company. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes, based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 has provided genes to thousands of customers, for whom it has synthesized many millions of base pairs. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene synthesis process and new protein optimization technologies. The tools and applications brought to market by DNA2.0 are transforming biology into an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif.

For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com or email Claes Gustafsson, VP Sales cgustafsson@DNA20.com.

Having trouble with your resolutions list already? Make the switch from cloning to synthesis and give yourself more time and energy to focus on your research. Resolve to work smarter—saving time and money and getting better results.


While you consider all the reasons to make the switch, check out the ever-growing list of leading scientists that have already said goodbye to cloning: Success Stories

 

1. Save Time—Your PI is tired of waiting

Every day saved in the process of accessing your genetic constructs is a day gained on the competition. First to publish is also first to get the next grant. First to patent is also first to get next VC round. DNA2.0 offers custom synthesized genes up to 1kb in size guaranteed to ship in 5 business days—the fastest possible gene synthesis service available. Our regular service is an industry-leading 8-10 day turnaround.

 

2. Reliable, High-Protein Expression Yields

No point in getting a synthetic gene if it does not express your protein. Breakthrough research by DNA2.0 has identified the design principles by which codons are used to maximize protein expression. The peer-reviewed, published research, funded by the National Science Foundation, has produced a set of design algorithms that reliably offers maximized expression yields for heterologous protein expression.


3. It’s Never Been More Affordable

It may seem like cloning in-house is “free,” but the truth is that the cost of your lab time adds up. Synthesis now costs less than cloning, and DNA2.0’s prices are more affordable than ever before.


4. Focus on Innovation—Not reading trace files

You’re not in the lab to clone genes, you’re there to do science. Don't spend months fiddling with expression vectors, tags, culture conditions and temperatures. With DNA2.0 maximal protein expression, you can focus on the critical experiments that advance your research.


5. Improve on Nature

Any sequence you can imagine is available with synthetic genes. DNA2.0's rapid and efficient custom gene synthesis allows you to redesign entire gene sequences to maximize the likelihood of high protein expression, easy genetic manipulation, minimal promoter leakiness and convenient protein purification.


6. Avoid Mistakes

Why risk losing time on mistakes that could happen in-house? When you ask DNA2.0 to handle your gene synthesis, we make sure you get the genes you need, every time, on time. Never again curse the Gods of PCR.

 

7. Instantly Scale Up or Down

You need 1,000 genes today and then nothing for 12 months? You need a simple gene or multisite combinatorial library? No problem. DNA2.0 handles large and small orders with equal efficiency. No need to scale your in-house molecular biology resources to fit the ups and down of your research.

 

8. Ph.D.-level Support

Instant access to expertise in the fields of protein expression, gene synthesis and the voodoo of cloning. We at DNA2.0 have published extensively in the area of technology development and new applications of synthetic biology. DNA2.0 is a resource and research partner for accurate and innovative, useful solutions. Let our Ph.Ds be an extension of your lab.


9. Airtight IP Protection

DNA2.0 understands the value of your intellectual property. DNA2.0 never outsources your gene synthesis orders to facilities in countries with lax IP protection. DNA2.0 synthesizes all orders at our state-of-the-art facility in Menlo Park, California.


10. Groundbreaking Gene-Design Tool—Free!

What could be easier than using DNA2.0‘s patented drag-and-drop sequence functionality to design genes de novo? DNA2.0's free Gene Designer enables you to put your imagination to work and guides you through every step, from inspiration to synthesized gene. With a tool like Gene Designer doing the heavy lifting, you spend more time focused on your research.

 

11. Freedom of Expression with the pJexpress family of vectors

DNA2.0 synthetic genes are available in vectors that are immediately usable for bacterial and mammalian protein expression. Cloning into these vectors is free of charge and the constructs are provided without IP restrictions.


Make the leap to synthesis in 2011.

This is the one resolution that will help you succeed with the all the rest on your list. DNA2.0 has provided tens of thousands of genes to thousands of customers, synthesizing many millions of base pairs. It is by far the most published synthetic gene vendor, providing expert support to and collaborations with scientists. DNA2.0 guarantees researchers high quality synthetic genes, delivered on time, every time.


Call or email today for a quote: info@DNA20.com or toll free at +1 877 DNA TOGO.

 


About DNA2.0, Inc.

Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 is the leading synthetic biology company. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes, based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene synthesis process and new protein optimization technologies. The tools and applications brought to market by DNA2.0 are transforming biology into an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif.

For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com or email Claes Gustafsson, VP Sales cgustafsson@DNA20.com.

DNA2.0, the leading gene synthesis and protein engineering company, today introduced a suite of life science resources to help educators train the scientists of tomorrow. The cornerstone of this program is the company’s free gene sequence design application, Gene Designer. Gene Designer is an ideal teaching tool that is powerful enough to serve as a foundation for synthetic biology, systems biology, bioengineering and bioinformatics curricula, enabling students to design sequences de novo. However, this free application is simple enough to use that high school biology teachers can utilize it to help young biologists to better understand the structure and design of genes.

“Gene Designer is perfectly suited to teaching biology in the 21st century,” said Scott Hinton, Dean and Professor, College of Engineering at Utah State University. “As biology has become primarily an engineering science, our students need a powerful design application to harness the potential of DNA. Gene Designer has all the functionality that students require and a graphic interface that students can easily relate to. Because Gene Designer is free, any student or teacher in any part of the world can leverage this powerful learning tool.”

Gene Designer comes loaded with features to engage students, including a graphically-rich interface and a patented drag-and-drop functionality for putting together sequence elements. Gene Designer enables students the ability to capture the entire gene design process in one efficient application, using a range of design tools purposely built for the task, including:

  • Intelligent, fast and easy-to-use algorithms for in-silico cloning, codon optimization, back translation and primer design
  • Graphically-rich molecular view to display, annotate and edit constructs
  • Customizable database to quickly store, manage and track genetic elements, genes and constructs
  • Cloning Tool which can cut, combine and clone any vector and insert with drag-and-drop convenience

“Gene Designer allows students to put their imaginations to work and guides them through every step, from inspiration to synthesized gene,” said Claes Gustafsson, Co-Founder and Vice President at DNA2.0. “DNA2.0 is committed to helping train the scientists of tomorrow, through the introduction of our suite of tools for educators and students and our continuing support of university and high school research projects.”

DNA2.0 will curate a collection of student projects that utilize Gene Designer on its company website. Submissions deemed well executed, compelling and creative have the opportunity to win recognition prizes and awards.

In addition to offering Gene Designer as a free tool for educators and students, DNA2.0 continues its support of budding scientists through its sponsorship of the University of Cambridge team competing in the annual International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition. The Cambridge team was a finalist in the 2010 jamboree that concluded on Monday. Also part of DNA2.0’s suite for students and teachers is the Bioinformatics Toolbox, a collection of free resources for analyzing DNA and protein sequences that Genetic Engineering News called the “Best of the Web.”

 

About DNA2.0, Inc.

Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 is the leading synthetic biology company. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes, based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene synthesis process and new protein optimization technologies. The tools and applications brought to market by DNA2.0 are transforming biology into an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif.

For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com or email Claes Gustafsson, VP Sales cgustafsson@DNA20.com.

DNA2.0, the leading gene synthesis and protein engineering company, today announced that it has attained a patent through the U.S. Patent and Trade Office for the dynamic drag-and-drop- sequence functionality to create genes with the company's breakthrough application, Gene Designer. Gene Designer is a free design application that enables anyone, from the experienced molecular biologist to the novice DIYbio enthusiast, to design DNA sequences—whether making alterations to naturally occurring sequences or creating completely novel configurations of DNA. The patent (#7,805,252) covers the unique technology created by DNA2.0 scientists to represent nucleic acid sequences and to move them around with ease within Gene Designer. Gene Designer is a part of DNA2.0's suite of patented technologies—the pJexpress family of expression vectors, gene optimization, efficient synthesis and protein engineering—designed to facilitate a new era of bioengineering.

Without a comprehensive design tool, molecular biologists can be hampered by unanticipated permutations of their design or by the sheer volume of data involved in even the simplest genes. Furthermore, imagining a novel sequence requires the ability to try out different combinations and make adjustments with ease. Gene Designer makes the complex process of building DNA code visual, dynamic and quick with its drag-and-drop interface and a complete library of DNA elements and vectors to work with. Gene Designer enables scientists and enthusiasts alike with the ability to put their imagination to work and guides them through every step, from inspiration to synthesized gene.

"Gene Designer is the only sequence-design application that is equipped with a graphically-rich interface and drag-and-drop functionality for putting together sequence elements," said Claes Gustafsson, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Vice President at DNA2.0. "The U.S Patent and Trade office recognized the revolutionary nature of DNA2.0's approach to gene design when it awarded this patent. Because Gene Designer is free, we are able to put the power of this patented technology in the hands of professional scientists, students and enthusiasts alike."

The introduction of Gene Designer is akin to moving from designing web content with HTML to building web sites with a content management system or design application: suddenly the ability to design DNA sequences is available to a vastly larger number of people, and the process of designing becomes much more quick, powerful and visual for experienced biologists.

Gene Designer is unique in that it is very easy to use and comes loaded with powerful tools, including intelligent algorithms for in-silico cloning, codon optimization, back translation and primer design; a graphically-rich molecular view to display, annotate and edit a construct; a customizable database to quickly store, manage and track genetic elements, genes and constructs; and a cloning tool which can cut, combine and clone any vector or insert with drag-and-drop convenience.

With a tool like Gene Designer doing the heavy lifting, the user is able to spend more time on the creative process of design. Moreover, while much of gene synthesis work today is about alterations of existing sequences, a strong design tool such as Gene Designer cuts the cord and makes it much easier to delve into novel sequences and applications—making Gene Designer an essential tool to enable innovations in synthetic biology in the coming decades.

Gene Synthesis: IP Protection and Superior Customer Service

While many other gene synthesis companies offshore manufacturing to areas of the world with lax IP protection, all DNA2.0 genes are made at the company's state-of-the-art facility in Menlo Park, thus ensuring the greatest security for patented or confidential sequences. DNA2.0 guarantees researchers high-quality synthetic genes, delivered on time, every time.

 

About DNA2.0, Inc.

Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 is the leading synthetic biology company. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes, based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene synthesis process and new protein optimization technologies. The tools and applications brought to market by DNA2.0 are transforming biology into an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif.

For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com or email Claes Gustafsson, VP Sales cgustafsson@DNA20.com.

In a recent poll of gene synthesis customers, more than 70 per cent of respondents rated the protection of intellectual property as important or very important, with a striking 56 per cent rating it as "very important" to their choice of a gene synthesis vendor.

Intellectual property is the cornerstone of the life science industry. Specific sequences of DNA that are utilized in drug discovery, research on biofuels, or the development of more resilient crops or that help us better understand the underpinnings of life are certainly some of the most fundamental elements of intellectual property in existence.

"DNA2.0 understands the great value of the intellectual property contained in many gene synthesis orders," said Claes Gustafsson, Co-Founder and Vice President at DNA2.0. "This is why every single gene sold by DNA2.0 is made at the company's state-of-the-art facility in Menlo Park, Calif., thus ensuring the greatest security for patented and confidential sequences. DNA2.0 guarantees researchers high-quality synthetic genes that are always delivered on time."

Most major gene suppliers manufacture their genes in countries with lax IP protection and in some cases do so without their customers' knowledge. Start-ups are particularly vulnerable as they often do not possess the legal resources to protect their intellectual property.

"In addition to making all of our genes in the USA, we pride ourselves on providing relentless customer service and PhD-level support," said Louise Rafty, Director of Sales at DNA2.0 "Our success in providing excellent service and support is reflected in our customers' response to this survey."

DNA2.0 customers reported great satisfaction with their experience, noting that DNA2.0's genes "have always been the highest quality" and that they have "been very happy with DNA2.0's overall quality, pricing and turnaround time." In the words of one DNA customer, "I wouldn't use any other company for gene design."

The survey was based on 263 responses, tallied between January 2009 and June 2010.


About DNA2.0, Inc.

Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 is the leading synthetic biology company. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes, based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene synthesis process and new protein optimization technologies. The tools and applications brought to market by DNA2.0 are transforming biology into an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif.

For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com or email Claes Gustafsson, VP Sales cgustafsson@DNA20.com.

DNA2.0 , the leading gene synthesis and protein engineering company, today announced the availability of pJmammalian expression vectors, the latest offering in DNA2.0's unique and powerful family of expression vectors. Along with pJexpress bacterial expression vectors, the pJmammalian family of vectors are free for gene synthesis customers and provide the flexibility of working with expression vectors that are not constrained by intellectual property restrictions. These bacterial and mammalian vector lines are available now from DNA2.0 with the same speed and PhD-level support that customers have come to expect from the world's fastest provider of synthetic genes. DNA2.0 continues to develop new vector lines in a wide range of hosts.

"Regardless of the type of research you are engaged in, strong protein expression is your goal," said Claes Gustafsson, Co-Founder and Vice President at DNA2.0. "Together with DNA2.0's patented gene optimization technology, our pJmammalian and pJexpress vectors offer the most integrated and efficient path from virtual sequence to expressed protein."

pJmammalian Features

pJmammalian vectors offer equal or higher levels of protein expression than a pCDNA3.1 vector when using the same insert. When receiving a free vector in conjunction with a gene synthesis order, DNA2.0 customers may:

  • Choose from Blasticidin, Hygromycin, Neomycin, Puromycin or Zeocin resistance markers
  • Achieve read through elimination using both a transcription terminator before the CMV promoter and a lac operator
  • Choose low copy (pACYC) or high copy (pUC) bacterial origin
  • Include Bovine Growth Hormone polyadenylation signal (BGH pA) to protect mRNA from hydrolytic enzymes and provide stability
  • Custom modify the leader and open reading frame
  • Enjoy the peace of mind of using vectors that are free from IP restrictions

IP Protection and Superior Customer Service

While many other gene synthesis companies offshore manufacturing to areas of the world with lax IP protection, all DNA2.0 genes are made at the company's state-of-the-art facility in Menlo Park, thus ensuring the greatest security for patented or confidential sequences. DNA2.0 guarantees researchers high-quality synthetic genes, delivered on time, every time.

 

About DNA2.0, Inc.

Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 is the leading synthetic biology company. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes, based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene synthesis process and new protein optimization technologies. The tools and applications brought to market by DNA2.0 are transforming biology into an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif.

For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com or email Claes Gustafsson, VP Sales cgustafsson@DNA20.com.

DNA2.0 , the leading gene synthesis and protein engineering company, today announced the availability of an innovative software tool for designing DNA sequences: Gene Designer 2.0. Building on the success of the original Gene Designer, version 2.0 delivers a sophisticated graphic interface and drag-and-drop functionality for creating genes, whether making alterations to naturally occurring sequences or designing novel ones. Gene Designer 2.0 is completely free: DNA2.0 has devoted significant expertise to this one-of-a-kind software tool so that a wide range of biologists can experience the flexibility of designing and producing genes through DNA synthesis.

“Gene Designer 2.0 enables you to put your imagination to work and guides you through every step, from inspiration to synthesized gene,“ said Claes Gustafsson, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Vice President at DNA2.0. “With version 2.0 we have provided a more dynamic interface and powerful new tools to make bringing your creative ideas to life easier than ever before.“

Gene Designer 2.0 is built to design novel sequences - rather than analyze existing sequences - making it an ideal software tool for synthetic biology. Without a comprehensive design tool, molecular biologists can be hampered by unanticipated permutations of their design or by the sheer volume of data involved in even the simplest genes. Furthermore, imagining a novel sequence requires the ability to try out different combinations and make adjustments with ease. Gene Designer 2.0 is fundamentally different from all other sequence manipulation tools and was created to enable scientists to design sequences de novo without being limited by what nature can provide.

“Gene Designer 2.0 puts the future of synthetic biology into your hands today,“ said Jean Peccoud, Ph.D., Principal Investigator of the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech, the group responsible for the development of GenoCAD . “As biology evolves to an engineering discipline, it is essential that we have effective design tools that allow scientists to advance biology through the power of computing. Gene Designer 2.0 is the most dynamic, graphically-rich and user-friendly of a new class of tools for gene design de novo.“

Features & Improvements for v2.0

Gene Designer 2.0 comes loaded with new features, including a simplified user experience and a powerful, intuitive drag-and-drop interface for moving sequence elements within or between constructs. Gene Designer enables you to capture you entire gene design process in one efficient application, using a range of design tools purposely built for the task, including:

  • Intelligent, fast and easy-to-use algorithms for in-silico cloning, codon optimization, back translation and primer design
  • Graphically-rich molecular view to display, annotate and edit your construct
  • Customizable database to quickly store, manage and track genetic elements, genes and constructs
  • Cloning Tool which can cut, combine and clone any vector and insert with drag-and-drop convenience

Gene Designer 2.0 also allows you to effortlessly remove or add restriction sites or other sequence motifs, recode open-reading frames, check translation frames and fusion junctions and instantly design oligonucleotides for sequencing primers with a real-time melting point calculator. Finally, users can directly order newly-designed synthetic DNA fragments from DNA2.0 via Gene Designer.

Gene Designer 2.0 is currently in beta.

IP Protection and Superior Customer Service

Whether designing genes with Gene Designer 2.0 or utilizing DNA2.0's patented gene optimization technology, DNA2.0 offers the most integrated and efficient path from virtual sequence to expressed protein. While many other gene synthesis companies offshore manufacturing to areas of the world with lax IP protection, all DNA2.0 genes are made at the company's state-of-the-art facility in Menlo Park, thus ensuring the greatest security for patented or confidential sequences. DNA2.0 guarantees researchers high-quality synthetic genes, delivered on time, every time.

 

About DNA2.0, Inc.

Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 is the leading synthetic biology company. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes, based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene synthesis process and new protein optimization technologies. The tools and applications brought to market by DNA2.0 are transforming biology into an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif.

For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com or email Claes Gustafsson, VP Sales cgustafsson@DNA20.com.

DNA2.0, the leading gene synthesis and protein engineering company, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trade Office has awarded the company two patent applications covering DNA2.0’s breakthrough gene optimization technology. The patents—7,561,972 and 7,561,973 —claim methods for designing synthetic genes to reliably increase levels of recombinant protein expression. DNA2.0’s unique optimization algorithm enables the company to offer expression yields up to 50 times greater than competing approaches.

"These patents embody one of DNA2.0’s unique competitive advantages," said Jeremy Minshull, President at DNA2.0. "When customers come to us for synthetic genes, they want those genes to express.  The broad and fundamental claims in this patent, together with the absence of any related competing patents, speak to our leadership in designing genes for protein expression."

Expression of recombinant proteins is vitally important for modern biotechnology. Unfortunately, many proteins are difficult to express outside their original host and frequently hard to overexpress even within their native host. Optimizing a gene for expression by designing the most effective coding sequence is therefore essential.  Despite the high value of sequence design, most currently used algorithms are based on anecdotal evidence that is at best statistically insignificant.

"Despite the increasing availability of synthetic genes over the last decade, little was understood about the relationship between heterologous expression and gene design. Clearly, the prevailing hit-or-miss approaches are suboptimal," said Mark Welch, Director of Gene Design and co-inventor on the patent. "Instead, our technology empirically identifies gene characteristics that ensure reliable, high protein expression in any host system.  We are grateful to the National Science Foundation for funding the three-year study that has allowed us to elucidate the rules on which our patents and algorithms are based."

The NSF-supported study involved synthesis of sets of genes and analysis of their expression in E coli.  From this work, Dr. Welch was able to derive a set of sequence properties that correlate highly with good expression.  New genes designed using these properties expressed well, confirming the validity of the algorithms.  The claims in application 12/184,240 broadly cover the use of this successful and powerful approach to optimize sequences for expression in any organism.

"Our overarching gene design technology is far more effective than traditional codon optimization techniques that simply use codon biases of native genes," said Claes Gustafsson, VP of Sales and Marketing and co-inventor on the patents. "DNA2.0 is currently working with partners to apply our patented technology to a wide range of organisms to increase expression yields and to discover a wider range of applications for optimized genes."

One of the rules that has emerged from Dr Welch's work is that constraining the incorporation of certain codons in a gene to a frequency range rather than a single frequency value can be of substantial benefit.  Application 12/184,234 claims the use of codon frequency ranges in gene design, providing further broad protection of DNA2.0's industry-leading gene optimization technologies.

Together with the recently released pJexpress E coli expression vectors, DNA2.0’s patented codon optimization technology offers the most integrated and efficient path from virtual sequence to expressed protein. While many other gene synthesis companies offshore manufacturing to areas of the world with lax IP protection, all DNA2.0 genes are made at the company's state-of-the-art facility in Menlo Park, thus ensuring the greatest security for patented or confidential sequences. DNA2.0 guarantees researchers high quality synthetic genes, delivered on time, every time.


About DNA2.0:

Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 is the leading synthetic biology company. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes, based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 has provided genes to thousands of customers, for whom it has synthesized many millions of base pairs. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene synthesis process and new protein optimization technologies. The tools and applications brought to market by DNA2.0 are transforming biology into an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif.

For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com or email Claes Gustafsson, VP Sales cgustafsson@DNA20.com.

DNA2.0, the leading gene synthesis and protein engineering company, today announced a strategic alliance with Blue Sky Biotech in order to provide customers with a seamless experience from gene synthesis to protein expression and purification. Blue Sky Biotech is a premium Contract Research Organization (CRO) for research-based drug discovery that is known for its industry-leading protein expression and purification services.

“Our alliance with DNA2.0 provides researchers with a critical advantage to help them pursue innovative medicines for unmet therapeutic needs,” said Norman Garceau, Ph.D., President and CSO of Blue Sky. “The alliance with DNA2.0 enhances our production capacity in molecular biology and provides access to DNA2.0’s patented technologies. By partnering, our clients will be able to save significant time and receive high-quality solutions.”

A cornerstone of modern biotechnology is the ability to express functional recombinant proteins in heterologous hosts. DNA2.0's rapid and efficient custom gene synthesis allows researchers to redesign entire gene sequences to maximize the likelihood of high protein expression, easy genetic manipulation, minimal promoter leakiness and convenient protein purification. Coupled with Blue Sky’s expression and purification expertise, customers can expect to benefit from major efficiencies based on shared technology enhancements as well as integrated production platforms employing DNA2.0’s optimized codon algorithms or protein expression vectors—in a wide range of host systems.

“The combined expertise of DNA2.0 and Blue Sky provides a one-stop solution for research organizations of all sizes,” said Jeremy Minshull, Ph.D., President of DNA2.0 “By focusing on providing high-quality biological reagents, we enable researchers to focus on their areas of expertise.”

While many other gene synthesis companies and CROs offshore production to laboratories in emerging economies of the world with lax IP protection, all orders through DNA2.0 and Blue Sky are produced in the USA, ensuring the greatest security for patented or confidential sequences.


About DNA2.0, Inc.

Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 is the leading synthetic biology company. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes, based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly-efficient gene synthesis process and new protein optimization technologies. The tools and applications brought to market by DNA2.0 are transforming biology into an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif.

For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com or email Claes Gustafsson, VP Sales cgustafsson@DNA20.com. 


About Blue Sky Biotech, Inc.

Blue Sky Biotech, Inc. is an integrated provider of custom biologicals for biomedical research and drug discovery and is organized into two divisions: BioServices and BioProducts. The BioServices division offers a wide range of custom services spanning Molecular Biology, Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic Protein Expression, Protein Purification, and Assay Development. This suite of pre-clinical services provides our clients with a convenient source of high quality custom research tools. Blue Sky also invests heavily in technology development to improve or enhance its production capabilities, including a proprietary process technology (IKM®) that significantly reduces cycle times and enhances reproducibility of protein production using baculovirus-mediated insect cell expression. The BioProducts division offers high quality biologicals and membrane protein solutions (TDA™ and SmartscreenTM Kits) designed to facilitate drug discovery. The company is a privately held corporation with over 40 staff members. It is located in Worcester, MA. For more information, please visit www.blueskybiotech.com.

World's Top Gene Synthesis Companies Form International Gene Synthesis Consortium (IGSC) to Coordinate Best Practices in Risk Reduction Five Member Companies Represent 80 Percent of Worldwide Gene Synthesis Capacity.

Five of the world’s leading gene synthesis companies today announced agreement that they will apply a common screening protocol to promote biosecurity in the gene synthesis industry. By screening the sequences of synthetic gene orders and the customers who place them, the companies aim to support government efforts to prevent the misuse of gene synthesis technology. Blue Heron Biotechnology, DNA2.0, GENEART, GenScript and Integrated DNA Technologies together represent approximately 80 percent of the global gene synthesis capacity. They have formed the International Gene Synthesis Consortium (IGSC) to coordinate ongoing best practices development and to work together with governments and others concerned to promote the beneficial application of gene synthesis technology and to safeguard biosecurity.

"We are proud to announce the formation of the International Gene Synthesis Consortium and equally proud of the commitment to the secure and safe synthesis of DNA it demonstrates," said John Mulligan, Founder and CSO of Blue Heron Biotechnology. "The depth and breadth of expertise in gene synthesis represented by the participating companies, in concert with our dedication to policy based on sound science and thoughtful leadership, will enable us to shape the growth of a safe gene synthesis industry poised to help address the technological needs of the 21st century."

"Safety and security are a chief priority for all of the IGSC companies, as the growth of the gene synthesis industry depends on an impeccable safety record. Each of the five founding companies has demonstrated a strong commitment to the safe delivery of synthetic DNA by implementing strong internal biosecurity practices," said Dr. Ralf Wagner, CEO and CSO of GENEART. "We hope that the IGSC will help to encourage effective collaboration with government and policy organizations and promote internationally consistent approaches to safety and security in gene synthesis."

"Each of the IGSC companies have worked over the past several years to implement internal sequence and customer screening processes, while contributing to the larger conversation amongst government agencies, policy organizations and the broader scientific community about developing an internationally coordinated approach to biosecurity," said Nick Yan, Vice President, Marketing of GenScript USA. "Recognizing that achieving real gains in biosecurity requires harmonization of screening and other practices, we have drafted a harmonized screening protocol and decided to form the IGSC in an effort to coordinate ongoing work toward shared best practices in the gene synthesis industry."

The IGSC’s "Harmonized Screening Protocol for Gene Sequence & Customer Screening to Promote Biosecurity" establishes the five core components that each IGSC company will apply to promote the safe use of synthetic genes:

  • Gene Sequence Screening: The complete DNA sequence of every synthetic gene order is to be screened against a Regulated Pathogen Database developed by the consortium and one or more of the internationally coordinated sequence reference databanks (i.e., NCBI/GenBank, EBI/EMBL or DDBJ). Amino acid sequences of possible translation products for each synthetic gene ordered will also be screened.
  • Gene Customer Screening: A complete and thorough screening of each potential gene synthesis customer will be conducted to establish identity and clearance for delivery of genes ordered, in accordance with national guidelines. The screening protocol assigns special considerations to the ordering of Select Agent genes.
  • Record Keeping: The IGSC companies will keep all screening, customer and order records for at least eight years.
  • Order Refusal & Reporting: IGSC companies reserve the right to refuse to fill any order and to notify authorities upon identifying potentially problematic orders, coordinating efforts with local and national law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
  • Regulatory Compliance: IGSC companies comply with all applicable laws and regulations governing the synthesis, possession, transport, export and import of gene synthesis and other products.

"Gene synthesis is the technology driver that will enable research institutions, companies and even individuals or small teams of scientists to develop solutions to the great challenges of our age, such as climate change, world hunger and pandemic disease. Gene synthesis itself provides us with powerful new opportunities to combat the threat of bioterrorism," said Jeremy Minshull, president of DNA2.0. "We won’t tolerate attempts to misuse gene synthesis technology to threaten the safety of any community. We scrutinize our orders to ensure that our customers are using our products for their potential benefits."

"The founding companies of the IGSC have been working hand-in-hand with government and with the greater community of scientists and policy advocates to share our expertise in gene synthesis and to help us all devise the most effective biosecurity practices," said Damon Terrill, Senior Vice President & General Counsel for International Legal and Regulatory Affairs for Integrated DNA Technologies. "For over three years, that collaboration has included close consultation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Departments of Homeland Security and State, as well as with governments in Europe, especially. We encourage all companies who conduct gene synthesis to adopt the IGSC’s approach to sequence and customer screening, and we invite any company with significant business in gene synthesis to join us in the effort."


About the IGSC

The International Gene Synthesis Consortium (IGSC) represents the gene synthesis industry. For more information please visit www.genesynthesisconsortium.org or email info@genesynthesisconsortium.org.

DNA2.0, the leading gene synthesis and protein engineering company, today announced the results of breakthrough research that has enabled the company to identify the design principle by which codons may be chosen to optimize protein expression. DNA2.0's research, which is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, has produced a set of design algorithms that allow the company to reliably offer expression yields up to 50 times greater than competing approaches. The paper, "Design Parameters to Control Synthetic Gene Expression in Escherichia coli" appears today in the publication, PLoS ONE

To achieve high levels of protein expression, many researchers have abandoned cloning in favor of synthetic genes, which can be acquired in a couple of weeks at a reasonable cost. Unlike a natural gene, a synthetic gene can be designed to use any codon to encode each amino acid. This has the potential to be a huge advantage, as most researchers have come to accept that "codon optimization" can affect protein expression. However, since a protein can be encoded by many alternative nucleic acid sequences, a gene design strategy is required to predict the sequence that will result in optimal expression. For example, a 300 amino acid protein of average amino acid composition could be encoded by more than a googol (10100) different gene sequences.

Several different approaches to optimization--including codon sampling, codon pair optimization and codon frequency matching--have been based primarily on analysis of genomic sequences rather than hypothesis-driven experiments and have proven to be hit-or-miss. However, DNA2.0's research has uncovered the elements in gene design that fundamentally determine the protein expression yields that can be obtained from a DNA sequence. The results are contrary to some of the most widely held assumptions, in particular DNA2.0 has found that the common practice of using the codons that are used most highly in the native genes of an organism can actually reduce expression.

"Our systematic analysis of gene design parameters in this study has allowed us to identify codon usage within a gene as a critical determinant of protein expression levels in E. coli," said Dr. Mark Welch, Director of Gene Design for DNA2.0 and corresponding author for the paper. "We propose a biochemical basis for this, as well as design algorithms to ensure high protein production from synthetic genes. Replication of this methodology has already allowed us to derive design algorithms for several additional expression systems."

Researchers at DNA2.0 synthesized two sets of ~40 genes, one encoding phi29 polymerase, the other a single chain antibody; both are commercially valuable proteins. Expression of the genes was measured in E. coli: levels ranged from undetectable to 30% of cellular protein. Correlation of sequences with expression levels led to the conclusion that protein expression strongly depends on codon choice. Surprisingly, the favored codons were not those most abundant in highly expressed native E. coli genes, rather they were those codons read by tRNAs that are most highly charged during amino acid starvation.

"DNA2.0 has discovered the 'Rosetta stone' for determining the best codon choices, which means that we can design genes for our customers that are guaranteed for high expression yields," said Jeremy Minshull, president of DNA2.0. "The PLoS ONE publication nicely complements the broad and fundamental patents we were recently awarded for this technology; peer review is essential for scientific credibility, and none of our competitors can come close to this."

Together with the recently released pJexpress E. coli expression vectors, DNA2.0's patented gene optimization technology offers the most integrated and efficient path from virtual sequence to expressed protein. While many other gene synthesis companies offshore manufacturing to areas of the world with lax IP protection, all DNA2.0 genes are made at the company's state-of-the-art facility in Menlo Park, thus ensuring the greatest security for patented or confidential sequences. DNA2.0 guarantees researchers high quality synthetic genes, delivered on time, every time.


About DNA2.0:

Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 is the leading synthetic biology company. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes, based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 has provided genes to thousands of customers, for whom it has synthesized many millions of base pairs. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene synthesis process and new protein optimization technologies. The tools and applications brought to market by DNA2.0 are transforming biology into an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif.

For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com or email Claes Gustafsson, VP Sales cgustafsson@DNA20.com

Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and world-leading gene-synthesis company DNA2.0 have taken an important step toward the development of a cost-efficient process to extract sugars from cellulose--the world's most abundant organic material and cheapest form of solar-energy storage. Plant sugars are easily converted into a variety of renewable fuels such as ethanol or butanol.

In a paper published this week in the early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Frances H. Arnold, the Dick and Barbara Dickinson Professor of Chemical Engineering and Biochemistry at Caltech, and her colleagues report the construction of 15 new highly stable fungal enzyme catalysts that efficiently break down cellulose into sugars at high temperatures. Previously, fewer than 10 such fungal cellobiohydrolase II enzymes were known. In addition to their remarkable stabilities, the new enzymes degrade cellulose over a wide range of conditions.

Biofuels are made by converting renewable materials--for example, corn kernels, wood chips left over from pulp and paper production, prairie grasses, and even garbage--into fuels and chemicals. Most biofuels used today are made from the fermentation of starch from corn kernels. That process, although simple, is costly because of the high price of the corn kernels themselves.

Agricultural waste, such as corn stover (the leaves, stalks, and stripped cobs of corn plants, left over after harvest), is cheap. These materials are largely composed of cellulose, the chief component of plant-cell walls. Cellulose is far tougher to break down than starch. An additional complication is that while the fermentation reaction that breaks down corn starch needs just one enzyme, the degradation of cellulose requires a whole suite of enzymes, or cellulases, working in concert.

The cellulases currently used industrially, all of which were isolated from various species of plant-decaying filamentous fungi, are both slow and unstable, and, as a result, the process remains prohibitively expensive. "Even a two-fold reduction in their cost could make a big difference to the economics of renewable fuels and chemicals," says Arnold.

The Caltech / DNA2.0 team created the 15 new enzymes in a 3-step process.  First the Caltech researchers used a computer program to "mate" the sequences of three known fungal cellulases, creating more than 6,000 potential progeny in silico.  DNA2.0 scientists then used another computer program to select just 48 of these offspring to test, synthesized the genes and sent them to Caltech where Pete Heinzelman measured their activities.  Finally Heinzelman sent the results of these tests back to DNA2.0, where the sequences and activities were analyzed using a battery of machine learning algorithms.

By analyzing the enzymes encoded by this small number of sequences, DNA2.0 researchers were able to predict which of the more than 6,000 possible new enzymes would be the most stable, especially under higher temperatures (a characteristic called thermostability).

Thermostability is a requirement of efficient cellulases, because at higher temperatures--say, 70 or even 80 degrees Celsius--chemical reactions are more rapid. In addition, cellulose swells at higher temperatures, which makes it easier to break down. Unfortunately, the known cellulases from nature typically won't function at temperatures higher than about 50 degrees Celsius.

"Enzymes that are highly thermostable also tend to last for a long time, even at lower temperatures," Arnold says. "And, longer-lasting enzymes break down more cellulose, leading to lower cost."

Each of the 15 new cellulases reported in the PNAS paper was more stable, worked at significantly higher temperatures (70 to 75 degrees Celsius), and degraded more cellulose than the parent enzymes at those temperatures.

"This is a really nice demonstration of the power of synthetic biology," Arnold says. "You can rapidly generate novel, interesting biological materials in the laboratory, and you don't have to rely on what you find in nature. We just emailed DNA2.0 sequences based on what we pulled out of a database and the recombination crossover points we wanted, and they designed and synthesized the DNA. We never had to go to any organism to get them. We never touched a fungus."

Next, the researchers plan to use the structure-guided recombination process to perfect each of the half-dozen or so cellulases that make up the soup of enzymes required for the industrial degradation of cellulose. "We've demonstrated the process on one of the components. Now we have to create families of all of the other components, and then look for the ideal mixtures for each individual application," Arnold says, with the ultimate goal of creating a cost-efficient recipe for cellulosic biofuel.

"If you think about it, energy is the biggest industry there is," Arnold says. "If we can replace foreign oil with renewable biofuels, that's an enormous contribution. And that replacement is slow right now because these enzymes are just too expensive."

The work in the paper, "A Family of Thermostable Fungal Cellulases Created by Structure-Guided Recombination," was supported by the Army-Industry Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies and the Caltech Innovation Institute.

Last year's energy crisis highlighted an unforseen by-product of the looming fuel shortages of the 21st century. Petroleum-based products such as plastics that society takes for granted but now requires to function will run out with the oil. Scientists are looking to microorganisms to pick up the slack and help produce environmentally friendly plastics, according to research presented today at the 109th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.

"Organic waste from agriculture, industries and households forms a very large resource that is currently discarded or at best transformed into biogas. From a sustainability point of view it is desired to convert these organic resources in chemicals," says Mark van Loosdrecht of Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, who has been working on using bacteria to transform this waste into bioplastics known as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs).

PHAs are linear polyesters produced by bacterial fermentation of sugar or lipids (fats). They are produced by the bacteria to store carbon and energy. More than 150 different monomers can be combined within this family to give materials with extremely different properties. These plastics are biodegradeable and are used in the production of bioplastics. However, the high cost of PHA production compared to conventional plastics has limited their use in a wide range of applications.

Using technology derived from wastewater treatment systems, van Loosdrecht and his lab have developed a process using open microbial cultures to convert organic wastes to PHAs. This new process is able to produce just as much PHA as existing processes at specific rates that are up to three times faster.

Kevin O'Connor at the University College in Dublin, Ireland, has also developed a new process using bacteria to produce PHAs from waste, only the waste is not organic. O'Connor has found a way to transform traditional plastics into biodegradable plastics. Using a process called pyrolysis, the waste plastics are heated in the absence of air, causing a breakdown of the molecular bonds. What's left is an oil that is then fed to natural soil bacteria that use it to produce PHA.

The process was initially developed using polystyrene, one of the most widely used plastics, but O'Connor says it also works on other plastics including polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the plastic used to make water bottles.

Richard Gross from the Polytechnic University in Brooklyn, New York, is using bacteria that produce a building block from vegetable oils that can be used to make a plastic that is very much like polyethylene. However, unlike polyethylene, when it becomes waste it can be converted by mild enzymatic methods to biodiesel fuel.

"We were challenged by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) come up with a plastic that could be broken back down to liquid fuel. I thought about that and realized that we needed to make plastic from building blocks that could later serve as fuel elements," says Gross.

That basic starting material for this work are vegetable oils that consist of fatty acids. Gross in collaboration with colleagues at DNA 2.0 (Menlo Park, CA) engineered a yeast to specifically ferment a fatty acid into a compound that can be processed into a bioplastic.

"The plastic is very much like polyethylene. It will process like it, it will feel like it, people will be comfortable with it," says Gross.

When the plastic becomes waste, it can be broken down and processed into biodiesel using an enzyme. While the process for conversion of the plastic to biodiesel works in the lab, it is not efficient enough for commercial viability.

"We are now looking for a really efficient enzyme that can convert the plastic back to its building blocks. We have found microbes and enzymes that do break it down completely but we still need to improve their efficiencies," says Gross.

DNA2.0, the leading gene synthesis and protein engineering company, today introduced pJexpress—a new family of vectors for bacterial protein expression using either T7 or T5 promoters. Cloning into DNA2.0’s pJexpress vectors is performed at no additional cost for gene synthesis customers and provides the freedom of working with expression vectors that are not constrained by intellectual property restrictions. The pJexpress family of vectors is available now from DNA2.0 with the same speed and PhD-level support that customers have come to expect from the world’s fastest provider of synthetic genes. DNA2.0 will continue to develop new vectors with additional features in order to provide customers with the most advanced vector technology available.

"DNA2.0’s pJexpress vectors routinely express protein more efficiently than traditional pET vectors and without IP constraints associated with other bacterial expression vectors," said Claes Gustafsson, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for DNA2.0. "In keeping with our mission to facilitate cutting-edge research we are pleased to provide customers with a bacterial expression solution that is fast and highly cost efficient."

For more information about the choice of available pJexpress vectors, including data demonstrating the high levels of protein expression compared to pET vectors, customers may visit: www.DNA20.com/pJexpress.php

While many other gene synthesis companies offshore manufacturing to areas of the world with lax IP protection, all DNA2.0 genes are made at the company's state-of-the-art facility in Menlo Park, thus ensuring the greatest security for patented or confidential sequences. DNA2.0 guarantees researchers high quality synthetic genes, delivered on time, every time.

 

About DNA2.0:
Founded in 2003, DNA2.0 is the leading synthetic biology company. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes, based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 has provided genes to thousands of customers, for whom it has synthesized many millions of base pairs. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene synthesis process and new protein optimization technologies. The tools and applications brought to market by DNA2.0 are transforming biology into an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com.

DNA2.0, the leading gene synthesis and protein engineering company, today announced the expansion of the company's European operations with the creation of the United Kingdom-based DNA2.0 Ltd. Michael Dyson, PhD, has been appointed as Managing Director of European Operations and will lead the new venture in the UK as well as DNA2.0's established office in Basel, Switzerland "The opening of our UK headquarters represents a major step in our global growth," said Jeremy Minshull, President of DNA2.0. "Even in a time of economic uncertainty, the market for gene synthesis and its many applications continues to grow rapidly in Europe. We are confident that European customers will continue to seek out our world-class customer support, fast and reliable turnaround time and the certainty that their intellectual property is completely protected.While many other gene synthesis companies offshore manufacturing to areas of the world with lax IP protection, all DNA2.0 genes are made at the company's state-of-the-art facility in Menlo Park, thus ensuring the greatest security for patented or confidential sequences. DNA2.0's two European locations ensure that European customers receive the same PhD-level service and support as their U.S. counterparts.

"The demand in the European marketplace for high quality synthetic genes, delivered quickly and with confidence, is tremendous," said Dr. Dyson. "We look forward to serving our European customers even more effectively through this new base of operations."

Dr. Dyson possesses more than 20 years of experience leading European customer service and sales organizations in the life sciences industry. He has particular experience growing and managing life science businesses across Europe, and prior to joining DNA2.0 he was European Managing Director for Codon Devices. He has also held chief management positions at such life science companies as Sequenom, MicroCal and PerSeptive Biosystems.


About DNA2.0:
Founded in early 2003, DNA2.0 is the leading synthetic biology company. It is the fastest provider of synthetic genes, based in the US with a global customer base encompassing academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 has provided genes to thousands of customers, for whom it has synthesized many millions of base pairs. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene synthesis process and new protein optimization technologies. The tools and applications brought to market by DNA2.0 are transforming biology into an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com.

DNA2.0,  the leading synthetic biology company, announced today that the company's RNAissance™ genes had been used to shed new light on the mechanisms that ensure that each daughter cell receives a full complement of genetic material when cells divide. The study, published this week in Nature Cell Biology, was a collaboration between DNA2.0 and researchers in Dr. Jonathon Pines' group at the Wellcome/CR UK Gurdon Institute and Department of Zoology at Cambridge.

DNA2.0's RNAissance™ genes are widely used to ensure that phenotypes obtained when cells are treated with RNAi are not the unintended result of off-target effects. For the work reported in Nature Cell Biology, Dr. Pines went a step further. He made RNAi-resistant versions of both a wildtype and a mutated protein (Cdc20). In the mutated version, all 23 lysines found in the wildtype protein were changed to arginine, a change that prevented the mutant Cdc20 from becoming ubiquitinated. By eliminating the natural Cdc20 from cells using RNAi, the Cambridge group was able to show that ubiquitination of Cdc20 is required to prevent a cell from dividing before all of its chromosomes are lined up on the mitotic spindle. This cell cycle checkpoint is essential to prevent serious genetic damage in animals from yeast to humans.

"We were delighted to help Dr. Pines by designing and making our RNAissance™ genes," said Dr. Jeremy Minshull, the DNA2.0 coauthor of the study. "Making RNAi-resistant genes that encode mutant versions of cellular proteins has the potential to help us understand the molecular details of many biological processes, as Dr Pines' group has so elegantly shown."

Eliminating the natural copy of a protein and replacing it with a mutated version has previously been possible only through genetic manipulations that are largely restricted to microbial systems. Researchers now have a powerful tool to aid them in studying the molecular basis of cellular phenotypes that even allows the modification of genes and proteins that are essential for a cell's survival.

DNA2.0 is by far the most published vendor of synthetic genes, providing expert support to and collaboration with scientists in academia, government and industry. The company's RNAissance™ genes are enabling breakthroughs in research because they are simultaneously optimized for expression in the desired host and to escape inhibition by siRNA that is targeted to the natural gene. DNA2.0 guarantees researchers high quality synthetic genes, delivered on time, every time.

 

About DNA2.0, Inc.

Founded in early 2003, DNA2.0 is the leading synthetic biology company. It is the largest US provider of synthetic genes, with a global customer base comprised of academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. DNA2.0 has provided genes to thousands of customers, for whom it has synthesized many millions of base pairs. DNA2.0 explores novel applications for synthetic genes and is exploiting the synergy between highly efficient gene synthesis process and new protein optimization technologies. The tools and applications brought to market by DNA2.0 are transforming biology into an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com.

DNA2.0, the leading synthetic biology company, announced today a significant redesign of its web site, providing customers with an enhanced experience and demonstrating the company's expansion. The redesign of the site introduced a fresh, appealing new interface, a customer-friendly site navigation, a database of published synthetic gene applications and a revamped Bioinformatics Toolbox that provides visitors with a powerful resource for analyzing DNA and protein sequences.

"The customer focus of our new site mirrors our commitment to innovation and efficiency in providing high-quality gene synthesis," said Dr. Claes Gustafsson, vice president of sales and marketing for DNA2.0. "DNA2.0 is dedicated to being a resource and research partner for the scientific community. By providing an easy-to-use interface and strengthening our Bioinformatics Toolbox, we are renewing our emphasis on customer service."


DNA2.0's Bioinformatics Toolbox:
Already hailed by Genetic Engineering News as "Best of the Web," DNA2.0's Bioinformatics Toolbox provides tools for generating, formatting and analyzing DNA and protein sequences. With an extensive rage of tools designed for such functions as format conversion, sequence analysis, and sequence figures, the Bioinformatics Toolbox puts all the technology and expertise needed for gene design at the fingertips of the user. The Bioinformatics Toolbox is now easier to use than ever, with convenient pop-out boxes for each tool. For more advanced features, users will want to download the integrated DNA2.0 Gene Designer software suite, available free at www.DNA20.com.

DNA2.0 has provided genes to thousands of customers, for whom it has synthesized many millions of base pairs. It is by far the most published synthetic vendor, providing expert support to and collaboration with scientists in academia, government and industry. DNA2.0 guarantees researchers high quality synthetic genes, delivered on time, every time.


About DNA2.0:
Founded in early 2003, DNA2.0 is the leading synthetic biology company. It is the largest US provider of synthetic genes, with a global customer base comprised of academia, government and the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural and biotechnology industries. Using proprietary technologies, DNA2.0 exploits the synergy between highly efficient gene synthesis process and new protein optimization technologies. The tools and applications brought to market by DNA2.0 are transforming biology into an engineering discipline. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information, please visit www.DNA20.com.

DNA2.0, Inc., a leading gene synthesis and protein engineering company, today announced the opening of its European branch office in Basel, Switzerland. The expansion is part of DNA2.0's strategy to serve its clients in both domestic and international markets."We are excited to enhance DNA2.0's custom gene synthesis services in the European marketplace," said Dr. Jeremy Minshull, President of DNA2.0. "We have devoted our energies to building the fastest and most reliable gene synthesis process in the world. Our Basel office will allow us to provide the same PhD-level customer support to our growing European customer base that our US customers already enjoy."

"Our investment in Europe reflects the strong growth we see in demand for synthetic genes at European biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies as well as its universities," said Dr. Louise Rafty, Director of Sales at DNA2.0. "Access to fast and accurate gene synthesis is revolutionizing the way scientists think about molecular biology; enabling a number of exciting emerging applications such as codon optimization, protein engineering, and RNAi resistance."


About DNA2.0

DNA2.0 is the largest US provider of synthetic genes, serving customers globally in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries as well as in academia. The company is also applying machine learning to protein engineering through their ProteinGPS(TM) platform. For more information, visit http://www.DNA20.com

Scientists at the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, University of Florida (both at Gainesville, FL) and DNA2.0 (Menlo Park, CA) today publish a study in the journal Nature where more than 20 ancient genes were resurrected from organisms that lived between 500 million to 3.5 billion years ago.

"By studying proteins encoded by these primordial genes, we are able to infer information about the environmental conditions of the early Earth" said Dr. Eric Gaucher at the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution and lead scientist of the study. "Genes evolve to adapt to the environmental conditions in which an organism lives. Resurrecting these long extinct genes gives us the opportunity to analyze and dissect the ancient surroundings that have been recorded in the gene sequence. The genes essentially behave as dynamic fossils."

The researchers chose a gene that encodes a protein which captures the environmental temperature of the gene's host organism. In essence, the resurrected genes are ancient thermometers. These 'thermometers' were used to provide evidence that the oldest bacterial life forms lived at a hot temperature of 75 degrees C (~165 degrees F) 3.5 billion years ago, and slowly cooled to a temperature of 40 degrees C (~100 degrees F) by 500 million years ago.

"Remarkably, our results are nearly identical to geologic studies that estimate the temperature trend for the ancient ocean over the same time period. The convergence of results from biology and geology show that Earth's environment has continuously been changing since life began, and life has adapted appropriately to survive," said Dr. Gaucher.

"Although the concept of ancestral gene resurrection was proposed more than forty years ago, the development of efficient gene synthesis has only recently enabled the creation of the ancestral genes required for a study like this" said Dr. Sridhar Govindarajan, co-author of the paper and scientist at DNA2.0, the gene synthesis company that built the ancestral genes. "Gene synthesis allows for a direct route from a calculated gene sequence to a protein that can be tested for function in the laboratory."

Dr. Omjoy Ganesh, a structural biologist at the University of Florida, also contributed to this research.


About the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution

FfAME is a non-profit research organization combining computational, chemical, molecular and life sciences to uniquely create a vertically integrated approach that generates opportunities to transfer technology from basic research to meet demands in commerce and medicine. For more information, visit http://www.ffame.org


About DNA2.0

DNA2.0 is the largest US provider of synthetic genes, serving customers globally in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries as well as in academia. The company is also applying machine learning to protein engineering through their ProteinGPS(TM) platform. For more information, visit http://www.DNA20.com

DNA2.0 Inc. (www.DNA20.com), the largest US provider of synthetic genes, and Operon Biotechnologies(www.operon.com), a leader in DNA oligonucleotide synthesis, announce the formation of a partnership to utilize their synergistic technologies and product lines.

By combining Operon's oligonucleotide production platform with DNA2.0's gene synthesis process, the companies expect to further increase DNA2.0's market leading speed of synthesis, while providing Operon access to the fastest growing application area for oligonucleotides today. The partnership will allow each company to remain focused on their respective core businesses, while the customer benefits from the expertise of both partners.

Under the partnership, Operon will co-market DNA2.0’s gene synthesis services. ‘DNA2.0 provides products and a level of customer service that is unparalleled in the gene synthesis industry, we wholeheartedly recommend them to our customers for their synthetic genes.’ said Patrick A. Weiss, CEO of Operon. ‘We at Operon are proud to be the primary source of the oligos that go into DNA2.0 synthetic genes.’

‘Construction of synthetic genes requires oligos of only the highest quality’ said Jeremy Minshull, President of DNA2.0. ‘Operon's fully automated oligo synthesis process meets our exacting quality requirements, and their speed and responsiveness makes Operon an outstanding partner for DNA2.0 in the gene synthesis marketplace.’


About DNA2.0, Inc.

DNA2.0 is the largest US provider of synthetic genes, serving customers globally in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries as well as in academia. The company is also pioneering the application of machine learning to commercial protein engineering through their ProteinGPS™ platform. For more information please visit www.DNA20.com.


About Operon Biotechnologies

Operon Biotechnologies is a global market leader in high-throughput synthesis, serving scientists in academic research, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical development. Through our production facilities in the US, Germany, and Japan, as well as distributors worldwide, Operon provides a wide range of quality DNA oligonucleotides, Array Ready Oligo Sets (AROS™) and pre-printed microarrays (OpArray™). Since its inception in 1986, Operon has been driven by incomparable customer service and reliable delivery of quality products. Operon employs advanced synthesis technologies and consistently pursues unique innovations to maintain the highest level of excellence in both products and support. For more information, please visit www.operon.com.

Adimab, Inc., a pioneer in the integration of antibody discovery, maturation and biomanufacturing and DNA2.0, Inc. (Menlo Park, CA), the largest U.S. supplier of synthetic DNA today announce a strategic alliance in the area of antibody discovery.

The two companies have entered into an exclusive agreement to jointly develop and produce proprietary antibody libraries that replicate the human immune system’s ability to produce antibodies against any target.

“We did extensive diligence on the leading gene synthesis companies and DNA2.0 had an impeccable reputation amongst its customers. Their ability to work with us on the integration of all aspects of gene synthesis and library design was a major driver in this relationship,” says Dane Wittrup, Adimab co-founder and professor at MIT.

“Adimab brings a disruptive and novel approach to antibody discovery that has the potential to change the way we discover therapeutic antibodies in the future. We wanted to be part of that exciting development,” says Jeremy Minshull, DNA2.0 co-founder and president.


About Adimab, Inc.
Adimab is changing the discovery, maturation and production of therapeutic human antibodies. By integrating all aspects of antibody discovery and developing sophisticated screening methods, Adimab can rapidly select for high affinity antibodies that also behave well in a formulation and manufacturing context. Our proprietary library design and presentation technology allows us to discover full-length human antibodies with broad epitope coverage and high affinity faster than any current technology. For more information, visit www.adimab.com.


About DNA2.0
DNA2.0 is the largest US provider of synthetic genes, serving customers globally in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries as well as in academia. The company is also pioneering the application of machine learning to commercial protein engineering through their ProteinGPS™ platform. For more information please visit www.DNA20.com.


Contact:

Adimab, Inc.
Errik B. Anderson
VP Operations & Finance
(603) 727-7107
errik.anderson@adimab.com
DNA2.0, Inc.
Claes Gustafsson
VP Sales & Marketing
(650) 853-8347
corpcom@DNA20.com

DNA2.0, Inc. (http://www.DNA20.com), a leader in synthetic biology and the largest US provider
of synthetic genes has been awarded an SBIR/NSF grant to further expand
their expertise in protein expression and to develop an automated
multivariate machine learning algorithm for optimizing synthetic gene
design.

Recombinant DNA technologies launched the biotechnology industry by
allowing cost-effective production of valuable therapeutic proteins in
easily cultured and manipulated organisms. Despite the early success of
biotechnology, protein expression of recombinant genes remains a key
limiting step.

Efficient gene synthesis technology allows the complete redesign of any
gene to meet new engineering requirement. DNA2.0 is using its expertise in
machine learning algorithms to identify the critical variables and their
impacts on protein expression. A multivariate array of genes will be
synthesized in DNA2.0's state-of-the-art gene manufacturing facility, and
then tested. The resulting multidimensional sequence-expression landscape
will be modeled and resulting algorithm incorporated into Gene
Designer(TM), a freely available software for the design of synthetic
genes.

"We are designing and manufacturing a unique set of synthetic genes
that will systematically identify and explore gene design parameters that
affect protein expression," said Mark Welch, PhD., project manager. "By
applying experimental design methods that are widely used in other
engineering disciplines, we intend to enable simple, automated gene designs
that routinely optimize protein expression."

"This project is a perfect fit for DNA2.0 and our goal to industrialize
biotechnology," said Jeremy Minshull, PhD., President of DNA2.0.
"Systematic studies allow us to move from anecdotal evidence to science,
and we know that robust and reliable protein expression is valuable to our
customers."

About DNA2.0, Inc.

DNA2.0 a leader in synthetic biology and is the developer of two
platform technologies, the DNA-2-Go(TM) gene synthesis process and DeNovo
Genes(TM), a protein engineering and sequence optimization technology. The
company is also selling a large catalog of optimized synthetic genes at
their PlanetGene website (http://www.DNA20.com).
For more information please visit http://www.DNA20.com or email
corpcom@DNA20.com.

DNA2.0, Inc. (www.DNA20.com), a leader in custom gene synthesis and protein engineering, and MediBIC (TSE:2369), a Tokyo-based bio-venture company, with consulting and informatics business units, today announced an agreement to collaborate on protein engineering and distribution of gene synthesis in Japan. The news of MediBIC’s agreement with DNA2.0 represents a commitment by both companies to use innovative approaches to cost-effectively accelerate research. The relationship will leverage and integrate the core capabilities of DNA2.0 and MediBIC in the areas of bioinformatics, data analysis, machine learning algorithms and efficient gene synthesis to support the work of genomic drug discovery and research science in Japan.

“Proteins are therapeutic drugs, universal catalysts for chemical reactions, and have great potential in areas such as nanomaterial, molecular computations and synthetic biology. Protein engineering has up until now been plagued by high cost, slow progress and limited success. The protein engineering technology developed by DNA2.0 has the ability to efficiently optimize any protein directly for the commercial application needed using advanced machine learning algorithms,” said Dr. Yasuhiro Hashimoto, president and CEO of MediBIC. “We are delighted to share our expertise in data mining, neural networks and heuristic algorithms with DNA2.0 to leverage our data management tools in the area of protein engineering.”

DNA2.0 has already used computer artificial intelligence to modify the sequence of a protein, resulting in a seven-fold improvement in enzyme activity. "Combining MediBIC’s computational know-how with DNA2.0’s protein engineering technology will further enhance our efficient process for developing proteins with novel commercially valuable properties," said Dr Jeremy Minshull, president of DNA2.0. “MediBIC’s unique data mining tools for genetic and chemical compounds perfectly complement the protein engineering technology developed by DNA2.0. MediBIC has a market-leading position in the high-growth Japanese biotech community. We are extremely pleased to establish this agreement to collaborate with such a prestigious leader and work together on innovations in genomic research,” added Dr. Minshull.

The relationship with MediBIC is a major market entry for DNA2.0. Under the terms of the agreement, MediBIC will collaborate with DNA2.0 in new product research and development, and will also be the sole Japanese distributor for the company’s existing repository of synthesized genes. The Japanese pharmaceutical market is the world’s 2nd largest after the US, with 90% dedicated to prescription drugs. MediBIC was recently named the fastest growing technology company in Japan by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, the global professional services organization. MediBIC’s rapid expansion allows DNA2.0 to help meet the needs of Japan’s growing market demand for new approaches in genomic drug discovery.

The two companies will be supporting Japanese life science companies engaged in the synthesis and development of improved enzymes and biomedical products as well as development of proteins with unique properties. To extend the breadth of applied research, the collaboration may evolve to include key internal projects, such as modification of existing bio products and the development of bio products with specialized properties.

 

About MediBIC.

MediBIC (TSE:2369) is a leading Japanese life sciences and pharmacogenomics consulting company. The company was founded in 2000 with the aim of helping the Japanese pharmaceutical industry to improve its drug development efficiency through strategic integration of technologies. The company has diversified into providing custom informatics solutions and partnering with other technology providers to form an in silico virtual discovery pipeline. The company has been recognized as the fastest growing biotech company in Japan. For more information on MediBIC visit the company's website at http://www.medibic.com .

 

About DNA2.0, Inc.

DNA2.0 is the developer of two platform technologies, the DNA-2-Go gene synthesis process and DeNovo Genes TM, a protein engineering and sequence optimization technology. The firm’s charter is to exploit the synergy between a highly efficient gene synthesis process and new protein optimization technologies. PlanetGene TM is the recently launched repository of codon optimized human genes which can be accessed through the DNA2.0 website (www.DNA20.com) or directly at www.planetgene.com.

DNA2.0 is applying its DNA-2-Go custom genes synthesis process and its DeNovo Genes platform technology to design and produce information-rich gene variants. These gene variants are synthesized individually and then tested for functional activity. The data is analyzed and mapped as a mega dimensional projection of the correlated sequence-function space. The DeNovo Genes technology is uniquely suited to engineering proteins for commercial applications such as industrial biocatalysis and healthcare products such as therapeutic proteins and diagnostic reagents. For more information please visit www.DNA20.com or email info@dna20.com.

DNA2.0, Inc. (www.DNA20.com), a leader in custom gene synthesis and protein engineering, announced today the launch of PlanetGeneTM, the first comprehensive online gene catalog with an initial offering of over twenty-five thousand human genes commercially available for scientific research. Each gene has been codon optimized for expression in both bacterial and mammalian systems, allowing users to easily move between the two experimental systems. The genes have also been designed to avoid features that are frequently problematic in protein expression such as mRNA secondary structure, repetitive DNA elements and internal translation initiation sites. The PlanetGene online catalog of codon optimized human genes is easily accessed and searched on the basis of amino acid sequences, keywords, or Genbank accession numbers.

“Easy access to genes that are already codon optimized will drastically reduce the cost, time and resources to maintain a strong R&D pipeline,” said Jeremy Minshull, PhD, president of DNA2.0. “PlanetGene furthers DNA2.0's aim to reduce the cost and complexity of outsourcing routine molecular biology. By closing the gap between sequences in databases and physically useable genes it will enable corporate and academic research scientists to focus their resources fully on their critical research rather than on creating the tools they need."

PlanetGene will transform the efficiency and effectiveness of biological research from basic science to drug discovery, and marks a milestone in DNA2.0’s goal of industrializing molecular biology. Providing immediate access to synthetic human genes designed for use in the two major expression platforms marks a new phase in the company’s drive to empower researchers in the pharmaceutical industry and beyond.

PlanetGene combines the efficiency of the DNA-2-Go gene synthesis technology, developed by DNA2.0, with powerful Protein-2-DNA gene design algorithms. The result is affordable high quality optimized genes available to the entire research community. Benefits to researchers are:

Speed – Even an experienced researcher can take several months or even longer to codon optimize and synthesize an average 1000 base pair human gene. From order to delivery, PlanetGene reduces that time to 2 weeks.
Cost – to have an average 1000 base pair human gene custom synthesized commercially costs around $2,500. Codon optimized genes from PlanetGene will start at about $100.

Reliability – DNA2.0 is a published leader in the area of codon optimization for heterologous protein expression. Genes optimized using the company’s extensively tested Protein-2-DNA gene design have shown consistently good expression in E. Coli and mammalian systems. The genes offered through PlanetGene have been redesigned to greatly improve expression, but the protein sequence is completely unchanged from the original human sequence. The integrity of each gene is verified by double stranded DNA sequencing to ensure 100% accuracy.

DNA2.0 is the developer of two platform technologies, the DNA-2-Go gene synthesis process and DeNovo Genes, a protein engineering and sequence optimization technology. The firm’s charter is to exploit the synergy between a highly efficient gene synthesis process and new protein optimization technologies. Following the initial launch, DNA2.0 will continue building the PlanetGene repository by adding codon optimized human splicing variants. PlanetGene will also be expanded to offer codon optimized genes from other organisms. PlanetGene can be accessed through the DNA2.0 website (www.DNA20.com) or directly at www.planetgene.com.

 

About DNA2.0, Inc. 

DNA2.0 is applying its DNA-2-Go custom genes synthesis process and its DeNovo Genes platform technology to design and produce information-rich gene variants. These gene variants are synthesized individually and then tested for functional activity. The data is analyzed and mapped as a mega dimensional projection of the correlated sequence-function space. The DeNovo Genes technology is uniquely suited to engineering proteins for commercial applications such as industrial biocatalysis and healthcare products such as therapeutic proteins and diagnostic reagents. For more information please visit www.DNA20.com or email info@DNA20.com.

DNA2.0, Inc. (www.DNA20.com), a leader in custom gene synthesis and protein engineering, has been awarded a Phase 1 follow-up grant by DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) for its Mobile Integrated Sustainable Energy Recovery (MISER) program. The focus of the research is the engineering of fuel-latent plastics and their post-use conversion to a fuel useful for electricity generation in the field.

MISER’s goal is to improve the logistics of land-based operations by reducing the quantities of solid waste from packaging materials that require personnel, fuel, and critical transport equipment for removal. Plastic packaging has energy content that approaches that of diesel fuel. The DARPA grant is designed specifically to achieve nearly complete plastic packaging waste reduction while harnessing 90 percent of the packaging energy content for use in electricity generation.

“Plastic waste is ubiquitous, degrades extremely slowly and is a major pollutant even in remote ocean areas. Key issues with current biodegradable plastics are that they must have comparable physical properties to the plastics they seek to replace,” said Jeremy Minshull, PhD, president at DNA2.0. “We are delighted to be working with Professor Gross of Polytechnic University, New York. He is a pioneer of the interface between biology and polymer chemistry, and his expertise is a perfect complement to DNA2.0’s.” Professor Gross is the primary recipient of the grant and is responsible for the design and testing of the polymer, while DNA2.0 will design and develop the enzymes used for the biological route to production. The polymer will have properties similar to polyethylene and will be prepared from renewable resources with a cost comparable to current commercially manufactured plastics. Best of all, they will have the potential for a second use as fuels.

The development of a biological route to synthesis of these polymers requires engineering of several enzymes. DNA2.0’s DeNovo Genes protein engineering technology uses protein sequence mining methods and machine learning algorithms to design small numbers of variants that are tested directly for commercially relevant protein properties. By quantifying the contributions of individual amino acids to the desired activity, further improved variants are then designed. “DNA2.0’s unique technology allows us to avoid imprecise surrogate screens and instead use highly sensitive methods to detect the products of enzyme catalysis that we care about for commercial application,” said Professor Richard Gross. “This will ensure that that we engineer enzymes that produce precisely the right molecules for building these revolutionary polymers.”

DNA2.0 a biotechnology company is the developer of two platform technologies, the DNA-2-Go gene synthesis process and DeNovo Genes, a protein engineering and sequence optimization technology. The firm’s charter is to exploit the synergy between a highly efficient gene synthesis process and new protein optimization technologies.

 

About DARPA

"The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency" is the central research and development organization for the Department of Defense. It manages and directs selected basic and applied research and development projects for the DoD and pursues research and technology where risk and payoff are both very high and where success may provide dramatic advances U.S. technology. DARPA’s mission is to maintain the technological superiority of the U.S. and prevent technological surprise from harming national security. For more information, visit DARPA online at - http://www.darpa.mil

 

About Professor Richard Gross

The primary recipient of this Phase 1 follow-up grant and the original seed grant is Professor Richard Gross of Polytechnic University, New York. Professor Gross was awarded the 2003 Presidential Green Chemistry Award and is the founder and head of the National Science Foundation Center for Biocatalysis and Bioprocessing of Macromolecules, of which DNA2.0 is a member.


About DNA2.0, Inc.

DNA2.0 is applying its DNA-2-Go custom genes synthesis process and its DeNovo Genes platform technology to design and produce information-rich gene variants. These gene variants are synthesized individually and then tested for functional activity. The data is analyzed and mapped as a mega dimensional projection of the correlated sequence-function space. The DeNovo Genes technology is uniquely suited to engineering proteins for commercial applications such as industrial biocatalysis and healthcare products such as therapeutic proteins and diagnostic reagents. For more information please visit www.DNA20.com or email info@DNA20.com.

DNA2.0, Inc. (www.DNA20.com), a leader in custom gene synthesis and protein engineering has been awarded a Small Business Innovative Research grant by the National Human Genome Research Institute, a division of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The project goals are to increase the fidelity and reduce the cost of synthetic DNA manufacture.

Rapid, accurate and affordable gene synthesis enables the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries to take advantage of exponentially increasing amounts of sequence information. Since its founding in January 2003, DNA2.0 has led a vigorous expansion of the gene synthesis market through its DNA-2-Go platform, cutting industry average prices from around $8/bp to between $2 and $3 today and reducing average delivery times from months to days. This speed and price allows many genes to be synthesized routinely by biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies who recognize the cost benefits of manufactured synthetic DNA. Nevertheless current gene synthesis technologies are still too slow and expensive to meet all of the needs of the genomic and health sciences community. The work to be performed in this grant aims to further reduce the cost and increase the speed of gene synthesis. The result will be an increase in the range of companies and academic research groups who can take advantage of the convenience of synthetic DNA to pursue more cost-effective and efficient research and development.

“Gene synthesis has the potential to replace a large amount of tedious and time consuming molecular biology throughout the life science industry sector as well as in academia. The size of this market is primarily limited by price,” said Claes Gustafsson, Ph.D., vice president of operations at DNA2.0, Inc. “Sequence information produced from the human genome and other large scale sequencing projects is more and more readily available. In contrast, obtaining physical genes corresponding to these sequences is often difficult and slow. Synthetic DNA also allows researchers to design genes with features that are absent from the natural sequences, such as optimizing for expression, eliminating or adding restriction sites and creating functional variants. By further reducing the cost of synthetic DNA we hope to make these benefits more widely available and anticipate a considerable expansion in the market for synthetic genes.”

Consistent with the firm’s charter to exploit the synergy between highly efficient gene synthesis and new protein optimization technologies, the grant will also impact the DNA2.0's DeNovo Genes protein engineering technology. DeNovo Genes uses design, synthesis and testing of individual gene variants for commercially relevant properties, thereby avoiding the expense and inaccuracies common to approaches using high throughput surrogate screens. Faster and cheaper gene synthesis is making DeNovo Genes technology even more cost-effective.

 

About NIH 

The National Institutes of Health is the steward of medical and behavioral research for the Nation. It is an agency under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland and the surrounding area. For more information, visit the NHI online - http://www.nih.gov.

 

About NHGRI

The National Human Genome Research Institute, located in Bethesda, Maryland, led the National Institutes of Health’s contribution to the international Human Genome Project, which has as its primary goal the sequencing of the human genome. This project was successfully competed in April 2003, and now the mission has expanded to encompass a broad range of studies aimed at understanding the structure and function of the human genome and its role in health disease. To that end, NHGRI supports the development of resources and technology that will accelerate genome research and its application to human health. For more information, visit the NHGRI online - http://www.nhgri.nih.gov.

 

About DNA2.0, Inc. 

DNA2.0 is applying its DNA-2-Go custom genes synthesis process and its DeNovo Genes platform technology to design and produce information-rich gene variants. These gene variants are synthesized individually and then tested for functional activity. The data is analyzed and mapped as a mega dimensional projection of the correlated sequence-function space. The DeNovo Genes technology is uniquely suited to engineering proteins for commercial applications such as industrial biocatalysis and healthcare products such as therapeutic proteins and diagnostic reagents. For more information please visit www.DNA20.com or email info@DNA20.com.

DNA2.0, Inc. (www.DNA20.com), a leader in synthetic biology, today announced the introduction of RNAissanceTM genes. These twenty thousand RNAi-resistant human genes are immediately available at the company’s comprehensive online gene catalog, PlanetGeneTM, which already offers twenty-five thousand expression-optimized human genes for scientific research. RNAissance genes provide a simple and rapid way to ensure that the correct gene target is identified using RNAi. This can prevent wasting months of experimentation and hundreds of thousands of dollars studying spurious targets. RNAissance is one of many synthetic gene product lines that DNA2.0 will offer on PlanetGene. The expansion of PlanetGene continues the company’s commitment to close the gap between information and experimentation. DNA2.0 provides cost-effective and innovative tools for research to accelerate drug discovery and product development.

“RNAi has quickly become the method of choice to identify gene function in mammalian cells,” said Jeremy Minshull, president of DNA2.0. “However, several recent reports show that many non-specific effects can be induced by siRNA. We have addressed this problem by developing RNAissance genes, and we are excited to add RNAissance to the PlanetGene catalog, offering researchers a new, low-cost synthetic gene which is both a perfect control, and a potential starting point for a new set of experiments.”
About DNA2.0, Inc.

DNA2.0 is the developer of two platform technologies, the DNA-2-GoTM gene synthesis process and DeNovo GenesTM, a protein engineering and sequence optimization technology. The firm’s charter is to exploit the synergy between a highly efficient gene synthesis process and new protein optimization technologies. DNA2.0 is applying its DNA-2-Go custom genes synthesis process and its DeNovo Genes platform technology to design and produce information-rich gene variants. These gene variants are synthesized individually and then tested for functional
activity. The data is analyzed and mapped as a mega dimensional projection of the correlated.


Contact Information:

DNA2.0, Inc.
Claes Gustafsson
corpcom@DNA20.com
(650) 853-8347

By manipulating enzymes scientists believe they can shed considerable light into the process of evolution, according to a study discussed in the Dec. 8 issue of Chemical & Engineering News. The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Illinois, Urbana- Champaign, was originally published in Biochemistry. C&EN, a weekly newsmagazine, and Biochemistry, are both published by the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.

John A. Gerlt of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and Jeremy Minshull, formerly of Maxygen conducted the research. By changing one amino acid, Gerlt and Minshull enabled an enzyme that catalyzed (sped up) only one reaction to catalyze two. Enzymes are specialized proteins, or strings of amino acids, that perform the body's biological reactions. They have always been thought to be specific and efficient laborers, according to C&EN, but some enzymes been shown to start more than one specific reaction.

This enzyme flexibility, known as "enzyme promiscuity", suggested an interesting evolutionary pathway, the newsmagazine said. If enzyme A - primarily devoted to reaction A - also could start reaction B, that may predict an evolutionary pathway to an enzyme B. The DNA mutations required to change one enzyme to another seemed too many and too random, according to other researchers, C&EN reported. However, Gerlt and Minshull say they have shown otherwise. By changing just one amino acid, Gerlt and Minshull were able to induce promiscuity in a previously loyal enzyme according to their 2003 paper.

A single mutation that induces promiscuity could have resounding effects. It "simplifies nature's problem of catalyzing new catalysts," Gerlt suggests. Such a mutation implies that both promiscuous and genetically near-promiscuous enzymes can be a springboard for evolution.

C&EN also suggests this research is valuable for scientists hoping to create new enzymes. They may find existing enzymes that already catalyze a given reaction as a secondary effect. Finding these promiscuous enzymes, will take them half way to their goal of developing new enzymes to aid in organic synthesis.

SUMMARY: In a study published earlier this year scientists from the University of Illinois, Urbana- Champaign announced an enzyme manipulation that sheds considerable light on the process of evolution. By changing one amino acid, the two researchers enabled an enzyme that catalyzed only one reaction to catalyze two.

For more information, please contact:
DNA2.0 Corporate Communications
corpcom@DNA20.com
Allison Byrum
A_byrum@acs.org
202-872-4400

DNA2.0 Inc. announced today the publication of a scientific review entitled 'Putting engineering back into protein engineering" (Gustafsson et al., Current Opinion in Biotechnology 14 (4):366-370). The DNA2.0 co-founders report the emergence of modern heuristic statistics as applied to protein engineering. Modern heuristic statistics permits protein engineering by synthesizing information-rich genes and maximizing the capture of sequence-function correlation. This improved technology leads to rapid and cost efficient sequence modifications of proteins to produce new and functionally improved protein variants.

Protein engineering has classically been approached from two diametrically opposed directions: Rational design and Directed evolution. Rational design attempts to understand protein structure and function at a complete mechanistic level so that any desired change can be effected by calculations of first principle. Directed evolution attempts to find a desired solution by empirically testing many different variants. Modern heuristic statistics applied to protein engineering is a synthesis of empirical data and a rational analysis of that information. The heuristic statistics technology is well established in a multitude of different industries that face the same challenges of high system complexity and abundance of variables. Such industries include small molecule QSAR, optimization of manufacturing and telecom. The application in protein engineering has until now largely been limited by the prohibitive cost of gene synthesis. As cost of gene synthesis is coming down, this alternative protein engineering approach is primed to take off.

The current state-of-the-art of heuristic statistics for protein engineering is described in the publication, and a number of examples including Neural Nets, regression based algorithms and D-Optimal design are discussed in the context of optimizing the engineering algorithm.

By this relatively straight forward approach, any protein can be converted into an improved variant, even for functionality that is difficult or impossible to replicate in high throughput assays. This is due to the substantially lower number of variants needed to be tested as compared to directed evolution, and substantially higher hit rate as compared to rational design.

DNA2.0 Inc. has developed a suit of algorithms, software, and an in-house gene synthesis process to fully take advantage of this protein engineering paradigm shift. DNA2.0 President Dr. Jeremy Minshull said: "Modern heuristic statistics provides an opportunity to optimize any protein in any functional direction much more efficiently than has previously been attainable. DNA2.0 is now applying the technology in conjunction with our low cost/high speed gene synthesis to put engineering back into protein engineering."

 

ABOUT DNA2.0 Inc.

DNA2.0 Inc. is developing a platform technology to rapidly and cost efficiently produce statistically optimally distributed gene variants. These gene variants are synthesized individually and are tested for functional activity. The data is integrated and mapped as a mega dimensional projection of the correlated sequencefunction space. The DNA2.0 Inc. technology is uniquely suited to bridge the information gap created by the recent explosion of genomic sequence information.

 

For more information, please contact:
DNA2.0 Corporate Communications
corpcom@DNA20.com

DNA2.0 Inc. announced today that it has launched a new and improved custom gene synthesis process which combines a robust semi-automated molecular biology pipeline with sophisticated bioinformatics algorithms to provide collaborators and customers with a fully integrated program for gene synthesis. The DNA2.0 Inc. system is the first to provide a fully integrated service from virtual to physical gene with a complete turnaround in ten business days. Collaborators and customers will have access to DNA2.0's complete integrated solution for codon optimization, bioinformatic molecular design, and molecular biology strategy. The efficient DNA-2- Go™ program allows researchers to design, synthesize and experimentally test genes in weeks rather than months.

DNA-2-Go™ is an extension of DNA2.0's internal program for collaborative protein engineering and optimization. DNA2.0 has strategically chosen to make the DNA-2-Go™ platform available to single gene customers as well as to protein engineering customers. "DNA2.0's technologies will provide researchers with an integrated, high throughput approach to conduct gene synthesis" said Dr. Claes Gustafsson, Vice President of Operations at DNA2.0 Inc. "DNA2.0 is working with collaborators to apply gene sequence space searching algorithms and the DNA-2-Go™ process to further protein engineering efforts"

 

ABOUT DNA2.0 Inc.

DNA2.0 Inc. is developing a platform technology to rapidly and cost efficiently produce statistically optimally distributed gene variants. These gene variants are synthesized individually and are tested for functional activity. The data is integrated and mapped as a mega dimensional projection of the correlated sequence-function space. The DNA2.0 Inc. technology is uniquely suited to bridge the information gap created by the recent explosion of genomic sequence information.


For more information, please contact:
DNA2.0 Corporate Communications
corpcom@DNA20.com

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