Benzinga | Dec 20, 2021 08:03AM EST

Twist Bioscience Launches 96-Plex Library Prep Kit

-- Further enables customers to convert from SNP microarray to NGS-based approach --

Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ:TWST), a company enabling customers to succeed through its offering of synthetic DNA using its silicon platform, today announced the launch of the Twist 96-Plex Library Prep Kit, a high-performance, cost-effective preparation kit for next-generation sequencing (NGS). Recently, new methods in genotyping by sequencing (GBS) have unlocked the potential for NGS to improve not only data quality and quantity but also deliver significant improvements in lab workflows and reduce sample prep costs.

"With the 96-Plex Library Prep Kit, we were able to discover a statistically significant genetic association to Westie lung disease, a canine model for human idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) that was missed with microarray technology," said Matt Huentelman, Associate Professor of Neurogenomics, TGen.

Sri Kosuri, Founder and CEO of Octant commented, "We needed a robust, scalable, and low touch method for verifying full plasmid sequences...ideally, one that would not require a huge investment in labor and capital. We found the Twist 96-Plex Library Prep Kit!"

Library preparation is a major bottleneck for sequencing workflows, from both a timing and cost perspective. With the ability to multiplex up to 960 samples upfront and combining best-in-class enzymes with optimized oligos and buffer conditions, the Twist 96-Plex Library Preparation Kit (formerly RIPTIDE from iGenomX) limits the reagent volume required for later reactions and reduces the hands-on processing for each sample. TheTwist 96-Plex Library Preparation Kitprovides more complete genetic information than microarrays, which results in increased statistical power for genotyping studies and enables researchers to obtain greater biological insights at a higher scale and lower cost.

"96-Plex Library Prep Kit-enabled genotyping is a significant advancement over microarrays. The approach provides a greater density of genomic markers throughout the genome at a significantly reduced cost," said Ali Torkamani, director, Genomics and Genome Informatics, Scripps Research Translational Institute, Associate Professor, Scripps Research.

"The Twist 96-Plex Library Prep Kit includes a robust PCR-like workflow for ultra-high throughput library construction that allows customers to use a small amount of sequencing data to generate high-quality genotype calls across the entire genome. Following the acquisition of iGenomX, we 'Twistified' the product which we believe will be instrumental in enabling customers to conduct studies involving hundreds to thousands of samples, whether screening traits for seed selection or verifying the sequence of plasmid colonies," said Emily M. Leproust, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of Twist Bioscience.