Swift Biosciences And Arbor Biosciences Partner On Targeted NGS Workflows For Coronavirus

ANN ARBOR, Mich., June 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Swift Biosciences and Arbor Biosciences, a division of Chiral Technologies, jointly announced a partnership to offer a complete workflow for RNA-Seq library preparation and targeted enrichment of the SARS-CoV-2 genome. An enabling offering for epidemiological research and public health surveillance, the partnership leverages Swift's patented Adaptase® technology within the Swift RNA Library Kits combined with myBaits technology from Arbor Biosciences for hybridization-based target enrichment of the virus for whole genome sequencing.

"We are very pleased to partner with our local colleagues in Ann Arbor, to synergize Swift's library prep technology with Arbor's myBaits capture technology," said Drew McUsic, Ph.D., Swift's Director of Product Management. "As research and public health labs continue to study mutation profiles of the virus across thousands of collected specimens, our collaboration puts a high performing NGS workflow in their hands to efficiently prepare samples for analysis, even when heavily degraded or otherwise incompatible with PCR-based approaches."

Hybridization-based target enrichment can retrieve target sequences that have significant genomic rearrangements or mutations relative to the reference used for probe or primer design. This allows the Swift and Arbor workflow to be robust to structural nucleotide variants segregating within the SARS-CoV-2 population.

"We have been providing the SARS-CoV-2 panel free of charge to research labs studying the evolution of the novel coronavirus and are excited to partner with Swift Biosciences on this effort," stated Alison Devault, Director of Genomics at Arbor Biosciences. "Detection of viral mutations is heavily reliant on sample preparation prior to sequencing and Swift's RNA library prep meets the sensitivity required for this virus."

The two companies' combined product offering includes modules for RNA fragmentation and reverse transcription, library preparation and amplification, indexed adapters, capture probes, blockers, and wash buffers for SARS-CoV-2 enrichment. No ribosomal RNA depletion or other enrichment or depletion steps are required. Customers in North America may purchase the full set of reagents directly from either Swift or from Arbor Biosciences.

About Swift Biosciences

Swift Biosciences, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, develops enabling technologies for genomics, translational and clinical research. Swift's technologies expand the range of sample inputs to broaden applications of next-generation sequencing (NGS). The company has developed unique intellectual property (IP) to enhance adapter ligation to both single and double-stranded DNA, improve multiplexed PCR for targeted sequencing, and enable novel solutions for NGS workflows. Swift's new RNA Library Kits are the fastest on the market and powered by Swift's Adaptase® technology, which allows stranded RNA library construction directly from first-strand cDNA.

Swift's portfolio enables new applications in multiple industries, including agrigenomics, pharmaceutical, academic, biotechnology, and oncology research fields. All products are for research use only. For more information, visit http://www.swiftbiosci.com/ and follow Swift Biosciences on Twitter (@SwiftBioSci).

About Arbor Biosciences

Arbor Biosciences, a subsidiary of Chiral Technologies, Inc. (part of Daicel Corporation), is a development and manufacturing company founded by scientists to serve our peers in molecular biology applications. We are a passionate organization of scientists determined to deliver cost-effective, user-friendly products to researchers of genetics and synthetic biology. The team at Arbor Biosciences prides themselves on providing exceptional customer service and timely technical support to new or advanced users on our array of products. We routinely collaborate with our customers and research partners to develop innovative solutions to address their unique applications. For more information, visit http://www.arborbiosci.com/ and follow Arbor Biosciences on Twitter (@ArborBio).

Contact: Camille Cappello, [email protected]

SOURCE Swift Biosciences

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