Twist Bioscience, a company accelerating science and innovation through rapid, high-quality DNA synthesis, and Desktop Genetics, a London-based software company, today announced a partnership to provide integrated experiment design and DNA synthesis tools to expedite gene editing research. Desktop Genetics will provide synthetic guide RNA (sgRNA) CRISPR library design services complemented by Twist Bioscience’s highly specific guide libraries for accurate editing of gene targets.
“Through this integrated service, customers will be able to utilize Desktop Genetics’ design capabilities for optimized gene editing experiments with concurrent access to unparalleled DNA synthesis through our 10,000-well silicon chip technology,” said Emily M. Leproust, Ph.D., CEO of Twist Bioscience. “This agreement augments our acquisition of Genome Compiler by partnering design expertise for CRISPR workflows with our expertise in synthesis of high quality oligonucleotide pools, which in turn facilitates cutting-edge research in biology, biotechnology and personalized medicine.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Desktop Genetics will work with its customers to computationally design sgRNA libraries for any CRISPR genome-editing application, in any cell line. Using its DESKGEN platform, the company will be able to provide researchers with sgRNA libraries that are designed using state-of-the-art machine-learning and experimentally validated approaches, and tailored to the exact genotype of the cell line being investigated. These guide libraries are then synthesized at Twist Bioscience and shipped directly to the customer, providing access to an innovative and highly scalable synthesis platform that enables cost-efficient workflows from design to downstream screening.
Riley Doyle, CEO of Desktop Genetics commented, “As a company working with world-renowned research institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and leading organisations directing genome editing towards therapeutic applications, I am incredibly excited to announce this partnership. By working with Twist Bioscience, we will be able to extend our services to thousands of customers, providing them with rapid access to the high quality, high throughput synthetic DNA needed for their functional genomic screens and CRISPR experiments.”