GenScript Launches Beta Testing Program for New Precision Mutant Library Services

GenScript^®, a leading gene synthesis provider, announced at the PEGS Summit in Boston the launch of a public beta testing program for its new Precision Mutant Library Services for the drug development, industrial chemical and synthetic biology markets. The new services, which utilize advanced semiconductor-based oligonucleotide synthesis technology, allow defined distribution of each codon, resulting in a well-designed diverse library containing complete coverage of only the desired mutant variants.

GenScript's Precision Mutant Library Services involve construction of custom mutagenesis libraries using a patented semiconductor technology developed by CustomArray, Inc., which GenScript acquired in 2018. The platform uses CMOS technology to construct integrated circuits in order to precisely control tens of thousands of electrodes for DNA synthesis. This overcomes the challenges with current chemical synthesis methods used to randomize codons for protein expression. Although degenerate NNK and NNS libraries have proved economical, scientists waste valuable screening time due to the poor representation of desired amino acids at certain positions.

"With this technology we are able to precisely control the composition and proportions of amino acids at one or multiple variant sites in a single protein. The technology is as reliable as your iPhone," said Dr. Cedric Wu, Senior Director of Research and Development. "This saves scientists a tremendous amount of time and money because it prevents codon bias and ensures all variants have the designed distribution."

GenScript's Precision Mutant Library Services include site-saturation mutagenesis, saturation scanning mutagenesis, or combinatorial mutagenesis libraries. Saturation mutagenesis libraries provide the ability to screen mutations located at several sites within a protein sequence or across the total sequence space. Each position is mutated to all 19 non-wild-type amino acids. Combinatorial mutagenesis libraries involve mutating multiple positions simultaneously across specific target regions of a protein and exploring all possible combinations of mutations.

"We are pleased to offer this new service, which builds on our existing mutant library capabilities and increases our service offerings for industrial-based protein and antibody engineering customers," added Dr. Wu. "With our strong expertise in mutant library construction and de novo gene synthesis, coupled with the power of the advanced oligo synthesis platform, we can now deliver more precise and diverse mutant libraries."

The new Precision Mutant Library Services offer specific benefits in the areas of therapeutic development and bioprocessing. The ability to create precise and diverse libraries unlocks the full variation of the sequence, which allows optimization of protein function and stability or enhanced antibody affinity in order to design improved therapeutics. In addition, screening mutant libraries can determine the optimal sequence for enzyme stability, substrate affinity, and ability to produce large quantities of product, which improves the overall outcome of bioprocessing in the chemical, agricultural, pharmaceutical and biofuel industries, which collectively represent a multi-trillion dollar market opportunity.

The beta-testing program offers significantly reduced pricing per library and NGS analysis included, free of charge, in exchange for feedback on the service and library performance.

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