Expanding presence in synthetic biology market

Life Technologies has signed an exclusive license agreement for ErrASE, a commercially available DNA error-correction kit developed by Novici Biotech. This is to increase accuracy and accelerate the pace of research in the field of synthetic biology.

Under the terms of the agreement, Life Technologies plans to integrate the error-correction technology into its synthetic biology offerings and also retains all rights to sub-license it. ErrASE will remain available for research purposes through Novici until the product is launched under the Life Technologies brand.

ErrASE is an enzymatic technology that dramatically reduces errors in synthetic gene sequences by detecting and correcting mismatched based pairs that can be introduced either by short DNA synthesis or during PCR assembly. Accuracy in the genetic code is paramount in synthetic biology, one aspect of which involves the engineering of synthetic genes in an effort to create new organisms -- such as bacteria, algae or even plants -- that can generate fuels and chemicals currently being made from fossil fuels.

The innovative technology used in ErrASE allows for larger, more accurate synthetic DNA sequences, saving researchers time and cost associated with inaccuracies in the gene synthesis process.

"A prerequisite of building higher-scale DNA assemblies is the availability of tools to enable accuracy in the final DNA sequence," said Nathan Wood, vice president of genomics for Life Technologies. "ErrASE forms one part of a larger suite of DNA synthesis and assembly tools that fulfill the growing needs of synthetic biology researchers."

This licensing agreement is part of the company's larger strategic initiative to expand its presence in the rapidly evolving synthetic biology market, which is estimated to reach up to US$2.4 billion by 2013, according to a report by BCC Research.