This collaboration leverages the automation of the Opentrons Flex platform and Zymo chemistry to increase throughput, reduce variability and deliver superior data quality compared to traditional methods.
IRVINE, Calif. and BROOKLYN, N.Y., June 15, 2023 – Opentrons Labworks, Inc., a leader in laboratory automation and manufacturer of accessible laboratory robots, and Zymo Research Corp, a life science reagent company, are collaborating to transform microbiology Genomic and metagenomic analysis by fully automating comprehensive, end-to-end workflows from sample acquisition to library preparation on Opentrons Flex.
Traditional microbiome analysis methods provide valuable insights for a variety of applications; however, this approach often faces challenges with time, cost, and accuracy. Furthermore, these methods often require extensive labor from skilled personnel, which may hinder scalability and reproducibility. The innovative collaboration between Zymo and Opentrons combines the automation capabilities of the Opentrons Flex platform with Zymo chemistries to deliver many advantages over traditional methods, including enhanced throughput, minimized variability and superior data quality.
The Opentrons Flex platform is capable of performing multiple chemistries simultaneously, significantly reducing the risk of sample loss, contamination or mutation. Additionally, the platform performs these chemical reactions with extremely high precision and reproducibility, increasing data accuracy and sensitivity. Finally, Opentrons Flex streamlines the research process by automating tedious and time-consuming tasks, allowing researchers to focus on the analysis and interpretation of data. This revolutionary collaboration has the potential to redefine the landscape of microbiome analysis, setting new standards in efficiency and accuracy.
James Atwood, general manager at Opentrons Robotics, said: “We are excited to bring accessible automation of the ZymoBIOMICS family of chemicals to the Opentrons Flex platform to support our vibrant robotics community. Our members involved in pathogen surveillance and microbiome-based therapeutic development are excited about the automation. There is growing interest in microbiome sample preparation workflows. Our partnership with Zymo extends our commitment to providing users with high-quality protocols on demand through our protocol library.”
"Microbiome research plays a critical role in advancing human health, agriculture and environmental sustainability, necessitating the integration of interdisciplinary and collaborative strategies," said Dr. Marc Van Eden, vice president of business development at Zymo Research. "By using a combination of Opentrons Flex platform and Zymo's chemistry to simplify and standardize microbiome analysis, this partnership can accelerate the progress and impact of microbiome research, so this innovative approach has the potential to unleash breakthroughs in a variety of fields as we master the microbiome. The discovery and application of sex.”
Zymo and Opentrons have a history of successful collaboration, automating popular Zymo chemistries including ZymoBIOMICS, Quick-DNA and Direct-Zol™ chemical substances. These protocols have been written and verified by the Zymo Automation team and are available in Opentrons' Open Protocol Repository (Protocol Library). Additionally, more than 20 protocols contributed by our community are automating the Zymo suite.
For more information about the collaboration between Opentrons and Zymo, visit ASM Microbe in Houston, Texas, June 15-June 19. Opentrons is in booth 2011 and Zymo is in booth 2225.
About Opentrons Flex:
Opentrons Flex features easily reconfigurable modular hardware including interchangeable pipettes from 1 to 96 channels, plate holders, onboard thermal cyclers, heater shakers, magnetic plates, and more. The Opentrons software ecosystem includes a robust library of over 500 protocols, as well as simple drag-and-drop cloud software that enables you to create protocols based on your specific needs. Flex’s modern API allows for nearly unlimited control of robots and seamless integration to build scalable workflows.
The Opentrons Flex NGS Workstation automates many popular NGS library preparation kits, including tag-based and fragmentation chemistries, starting at less than $50,000; the Opentrons Flex Protein Purification Workstation automates magnetic bead-based protein purification workflows, starting at less than $40,000 USD; Opentrons Flex volume workstations start under $20,000. Visit opentrons.com to learn more about Opentrons Flex.
About ZymoBIOMICS:
ZymoBIOMICS DNA Kits are microbial DNA purification kits designed to purify DNA from a variety of sample inputs for immediate use in microbiome or metagenomic analysis. These microbial DNA purification kits include the ZymoBIOMICS lysis system, which eliminates the bias associated with unequal lysis efficiency for different organisms such as Gram-negative/positive bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and algae, making it ideal for microbial community analysis ideal choice. By using innovative ultra-high-density BashingBeads for bead beating, uniform mechanical lysis of all microorganisms is achieved. These microbial DNA purification kits feature our OneStep PCR inhibitor removal technology to enable PCR amplification of DNA from inhibitor-rich environmental samples. DNA purified from these microbial DNA purification kits is ideal for all downstream applications, including PCR, arrays, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and shotgun sequencing.
About Opentrons:
Opentrons Labworks, Inc. is a disruptive life sciences company and current leader in the entry-level laboratory automation market, accelerating innovation in research and healthcare through its integrated laboratory platform, including the Opentrons Robotics and Neochromosome business units. Opentrons has raised over $200 million in funding and achieved unicorn status based on its first- and second-generation robots, OT-One and OT-2. Opentrons Robotics provides flexible, easy-to-use laboratory robots to thousands of institutions, automating R&D operations and making robotics a vast open source library accessible to life science researchers worldwide. Neochromosome provides world-class genome-scale cell engineering solutions for biopharmaceuticals and biotechnology. Trusted by institutions such as the Mayo Clinic, Stanford University, Harvard University and MIT, Opentrons is used in thousands of academic, biopharmaceutical, synthetic biology and clinical research laboratories in more than 40 countries. For more information, please visit https://www.opentronslabworks.com/.
About the Zymo study:
Zymo Research is a privately held company that has been providing the scientific community with state-of-the-art molecular biology tools since 1994. “The beauty of science is making things simple” is their motto and it is reflected in every one of their products. From epigenetics to DNA/RNA purification technologies. Historically recognized as a leader in the field of epigenetics, Zymo Research is pushing boundaries with novel solutions for high-quality, easy-to-use sample collection, microbial measurement and NGS technology. To learn more, visit www.zymoresearch.com.
Media Contact
open TR ONS@consort partners.com
article · 2025Year27Moon6Day
