Life science companies combine expertise to enhance transcriptome research 

Takara Bio USA, Inc. (TBUSA, formerly Clontech Laboratories, Inc.), a wholly owned subsidiary of Takara Bio Inc., and Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) today announced a new collaboration to support targeted RNA sequencing. This relationship will leverage IDT’s unrivalled proficiency in the manufacture and quality control of long oligonucleotides and TBUSA’s expertise in developing low-input solutions for next-generation sequencing (NGS) applications under the Clontech® brand. 

TBUSA and IDT have a mutual interest in facilitating targeted sequencing of the transcriptome. Data obtained from analyzing RNA will provide scientists with more information than can be gained from looking at the genome alone. Through this collaboration, the companies will explore probe design and kits for low-input, targeted RNA-seq applications. “We are proud to announce this collaboration with IDT, the world leader in high quality oligonucleotide design and synthesis. IDT’s unique approach to probe synthesis delivers improved sequencing performance by providing deeper, more uniform coverage of targeted regions. This partnership leverages the companies’ expertise and complementary strengths in order to develop innovative RNA-seq solutions to answer important biological questions,” said Lorna Neilson, Ph.D., Director, Corporate Development at TBUSA. “We believe that RNA-seq holds great promise for medical research and diagnostics, as well as for identification of novel therapeutic targets. For example, the technique can be used to correlate changes in gene expression with disease initiation and progression, and identify other transcriptomic changes that drive diseases such as cancer.” 

John Havens, Vice-President of Business Development at IDT, said, “We are excited to partner with TBUSA to develop this product that will be of immense benefit to genomics research, helping scientists to resolve questions unanswered by genome sequencing. RNA-seq allows identification of changes in the transcriptome, including gene fusion events, allele-specific expression, and alternative splicing, factors that influence human disease. Our unique, individually synthesized and quality controlled products for targeted DNA sequencing have been enthusiastically received by researchers all over the world. This RNA-seq solution, which leverages IDT’s expertise in manufacturing long, high-fidelity oligonucleotides, will be a welcome addition to our expanding portfolio of NGS products.”

RNA-seq is currently the most sensitive method for analyzing the transcriptome. A low-input solution for targeted RNA-seq will enable scientists to identify and characterize rare transcripts in the small samples typically available from clinical specimens. Probe designs or kits resulting from this collaboration will provide a robust, cost-effective method for these studies.

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