Zymo Research and Opentrons collaborate to automate novel cell-free DNA isolation chemistry

The partnership leverages the automation of the Opentrons Flex™ platform and the chemistry of Zymo Research to deliver superior cfDNA yields and higher biofluid throughput compared to traditional methods.

IRVINE, Calif., July 24, 2023 – Zymo Research Corp, a leading life sciences technology provider, has partnered with Opentrons Labworks, Inc., a leader in laboratory automation, to revolutionize cell-free DNA isolation and analysis. The collaboration delivers an innovative, fully automated, comprehensive workflow that transforms liquid biopsy analysis from sample collection to library preparation.

Currently, common liquid biopsy extraction methods can be challenging for cancer research due to inefficiencies in cell-free DNA recovery. The partnership between Zymo Research and Opentrons provides a new approach to overcome the barriers to these common approaches. Zymo Research's chemistry combined with the advanced automation capabilities of the Opentrons Flex platform delivers superior cfDNA yields, reduced processing times and consistent data transfer. This new method will revolutionize the power of cfDNA analysis, thereby improving clinical cancer research outcomes.

This impactful collaboration will also facilitate the development of complete automated liquid biopsy workflows, thereby improving the accuracy and sensitivity of downstream analyses. This unique workflow utilizes the ZymoSeq™ Cell-Free WGBS Library Prep Kit, a fully automated bisulfite chemistry and cleanup method that utilizes prepared cfDNA for methylation profiling by next-generation sequencing (NGS). .

"Cell-free DNA plays a critical role in non-invasive testing, disease diagnosis and monitoring, personalized medicine, biomarker discovery and genomic research. Through our collaboration with Opentrons, we aim to automate and streamline the liquid biopsy process for Setting new standards for efficiency, accuracy and reproducibility in downstream cfDNA analysis," said Dr. Marc Van Eden, Vice President of Business Development at Zymo Research.

"We are excited to partner with Zymo Research to advance liquid biopsy workflows through easy-to-implement automation. By leveraging Zymo's technology and the high-throughput capabilities of the Opentrons Flex platform, our goal is to enable scientists to efficiently process large volumes of biopsies in an automated manner. cellular DNA samples to support highly sensitive and accurate methylation identification," said James Atwood, General Manager of Opentrons Robotics.

The collaboration between Zymo Research and Opentrons further builds on their track record of fruitful collaborations. Previous collaborations include automating popular Zymo Research chemistries such as ZymoBIOMICS™, Quick-DNA™ and Direct-Zol™ on Opentrons’ reliable and affordable personal pipetting robot, the OT-2. The scientific community has contributed more than 20 protocols for the automated Zymo Research Suite, and these efforts have expanded the availability of high-quality protocols available through the Opentrons protocol library.

To learn more about this novel cell-free DNA technology and workflow, or how to implement laboratory automation, attend the 2023 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting in Anaheim, California, July 24-27 and the Clinical Laboratory Expo to visit Zymo Research and the Opentrons team. Zymo Research will be in booth #3089 and Opentrons will be in booth #1978.

About MAGicBead™ cfDNA Isolation and Zymo-Seq Cell-Free WGBS: MAGicBead™ cfDNA Isolation Kits feature unique magnetic bead surface chemistry that facilitates unparalleled cfDNA recovery from biological fluids. It is compatible with all open automation platforms and various sample types (e.g. serum, saliva, urine, etc.), allowing the input of plasma volumes up to 10 mL. The streamlined extraction process minimizes steps and eliminates the need for bead drying steps common in similar procedures. The eluted cfDNA is free of enzyme inhibitors, ensuring its compatibility with downstream applications, including next-generation sequencing. The Zymo-Seq Cell-Free DNA WGBS Library Kit provides an optimized and reliable workflow for preparing whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) libraries from cell-free DNA (cfDNA). This all-inclusive kit features a simple procedure to prepare high-quality methyl-sequencing libraries from as little as 5 ng of cfDNA and consists of three basic steps: bisulfite conversion, direct adapter ligation, and index PCR amplification.

About Zymo Research:Zymo Research is a privately held company that has been at the forefront of science since 1994, delivering state-of-the-art molecular biology tools. The company’s motto is “The beauty of science is making things simple” and this is reflected in every product they make, from epigenetics to DNA/RNA purification technology. Known for its leadership in the field of epigenetics, Zymo Research continues to push the boundaries of novel solutions for sample collection, nucleic acid extraction, and NGS technology, delivering high-quality and user-friendly products. For more information, visit www.zymoresearch.com.

About Opentrons: Opentrons Labworks, Inc. is a disruptive life sciences company and the current leader in the entry-level laboratory automation market through its integrated laboratory platform, including the Opentrons Robotics and Neochromosome business units. Accelerate innovation in research and healthcare. Opentrons has raised more than $200 million in funding and achieved unicorn status with 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. Opentrons are used in thousands of academic, biopharmaceutical, synthetic biology and clinical research laboratories in more than 40 countries by institutions such as the Mayo Clinic, Stanford University, Harvard University and MIT. For more information, please visit https://opentronslabworks.com/.