Synthetic Genomics Launches Vmax™ Express, a Next-Generation Protein Expression Platform for the Biotech Industry

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Synthetic Genomics Inc. announced today that its subsidiary, SGI-DNA, has launched Vmax™ Express, a highly advanced bacterial host organism designed for significant improvement in recombinant protein expression. Compatible with standard plasmids, antibiotics and growth media used in other bacterial protein expression systems, Vmax™ Express generates larger amounts of soluble recombinant proteins faster and more efficiently than E. coli-based systems.

"E. coli host organisms have been tweaked for incremental refinement for decades, but the development and commercialization of Vmax™ Express marks a dramatic step forward," said Daniel Gibson, Ph.D., vice president of DNA technologies at Synthetic Genomics. "Our team of scientists began with a clean slate — unconstrained by the inherent limitations of E. coli — and designed a novel, advanced, fast-growing host organism that will translate into next-generation protein production in the research as well as biopharma and industrial biotechnology production settings."

E. coli is the most widely-used organism in molecular genetic research and accounts for the production of 30 percent of FDA-approved biologic drugs. Vmax™ Express can replace slow-growing E. coli systems, which are prone to low yields and the expression of insoluble protein. Vmax™ Express offers several advantages over E. coli including:

• higher levels of protein expression (Vmax™ Express delivers at least double the amount of protein per milliliter);
• increased speed (approximate two-fold improvement in replication time);
• increased compatibility with a range of proteins that may be difficult to express in E. coli; and
• rapid results: protein purification in three days (one full day faster than E. coli, from cells to large-scale culture).

Vmax™ Express is derived from the marine microorganism Vibrio natriegens, a gram-negative, non-pathogenic bacterium that exhibits the fastest growth rate of any known organism. Vmax™ Express is available in a ready-to-use electrocompetent format and is compatible with a range of protein expression vectors including pET-derived vectors that use phage T7 expression system. Additional product information is available at www.sgidna.com/vmax-express.

Vmax™ Express will be featured in a presentation entitled, "Vmax™ – a Next-generation Microbial Workhorse for the Biotech Industry," at PepTalk: The Protein Science Week in San Diego at noon on Tuesday, Jan. 10.

A peer-reviewed paper describing this work was published in August 2016 in Nature Methods by Matthew T. Weinstock, Eric D. Hesek, Christopher M. Wilson, and Daniel G. Gibson.

Vmax™ Express is for research use only, and is not intended for diagnostic uses. It is also available for commercial license. For more information, contact [email protected].

About SGI-DNA

SGI-DNA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Synthetic Genomics Inc., provides genomic solutions to advance scientific discovery. SGI-DNA's ever expanding suite of products, services, reagents, bioinformatics tools and instrumentation enables scientists to discover, design and build novel solutions for basic research, as well as for biomedical and industrial applications. SGI-DNA's genomic services include whole genome sequencing, DNA synthesis, library design, bioinformatics, cell engineering, and plasmid DNA cloning and purification. SGI-DNA's reagents include a complete suite of Gibson Assembly® and Site Directed Mutagenesis kits as well as optimized cell lines. To further enable the synthetic biology workflow, SGI-DNA offers the BioXp™ 3200 System. This fully automated genomics workstation allows the creation of double stranded DNA fragments, automated cloning, as well as Next Generation Sequencing DNA library preparation. Building on scientific breakthroughs from J. Craig Venter, Hamilton Smith, Clyde Hutchison, Daniel Gibson and their teams, SGI-DNA is committed to reducing barriers associated with synthetic biology. More information is available at www.sgidna.com.

About Synthetic Genomics

Synthetic Genomics Inc. is a leader in the field of synthetic biology, advancing genomics to better life. Synthetic Genomics applies its intellectual property in this rapidly evolving field to design and build biological systems solving global sustainability challenges. Synthetic Genomics' core technology enables two connected genome-writing businesses: engineering advantaged cell platforms and printing biological components. The company's subsidiary, SGI-DNA, is revolutionizing science and medicine by automating next-generation genomic solutions for life sciences. Synthetic Genomics applies its integrated synthetic biology and engineering capabilities to create and commercialize novel solutions and transform existing products. Synthetic Genomics is reinventing bio-based production by improving existing production systems and developing novel, optimized production hosts. The company develops its products and solutions, typically in partnership with leading global organizations, across a variety of industries including sustainable bio-fuels, sustainable crops, nutritional supplements, vaccines, biotherapeutics and transplantable organs. More information is available at www.syntheticgenomics.com.

SOURCE Synthetic Genomics, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.syntheticgenomics.com