Life Technologies Launches Expanded, Next Generation GeneArt® Kits for Mutagenesis, Cloning and Assembly

CARLSBAD, Calif., June 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ:LIFE) today announced the launch of three next generation GeneArt® genetic engineering kits that allow molecular and synthetic biologists unprecedented speed, flexibility, precision, and efficiency for the seamless cloning, assembly, and editing of genetic material.

The GeneArt® Seamless PLUS Cloning and Assembly Kit allows investigators to complete complex assembly projects in days that would take weeks with typically available methods. The kits use a proprietary enzyme mix to recognize and precisely assemble DNA fragments without the need for restriction digestion, ligation, or introduction of extra DNA sequence (seamless). The kits are designed to work with any vector a researcher chooses plus 1 to 4 fragments (or more depending on fragment sizes and workflow) in an in vitro, typically <30 minute room temperature reaction to create constructs up to 40kb in size.

The newly introduced GeneArt® Seamless Cloning and Assembly Enzyme Mix is the economical choice for creating constructs up to 13kb with the option for high-throughput assembly.

The GeneArt® Site-Directed Mutagenesis PLUS System can be employed to introduce deletions, insertions and substitutions ranging from small to large fragment sizes and can facilitate single or multi-site mutagenesis. Up to three sites can be edited in a single plasmid at greater than 90% efficiency. Up to 25 nucleotides can be altered in a single site, and results are delivered typically in less than three hours for plasmids up to 14 kb in size.

"Typically, mutagenesis efficiency decreases as multiple sites are targeted," said Nathan Wood, general manager and vice president of synthetic biology at Life Technologies. "The GeneArt® kits maintain high efficiency over multiple sites, an advantage for our customers."

"Our scientists assemble and manipulate genetic material on a daily basis," said Wood. "They are deeply connected to the need for speed and reliability in cloning, assembly and mutagenesis systems, and they also understand that our customers need systems designed to handle different levels of complexity."

The new kits extend Life's current market-leading product offerings in assembly and mutagenesis kits, the GeneArt® Seamless Cloning and Assembly Kit (for up to four fragments and constructs up to13kb), the GeneArt® High-Order Genetic Assembly Kit (a yeast-based system for up to 10 fragments and constructs up to 110kb), and the GeneArt® Site-Directed Mutagenesis System. With the new all-in-one enzyme/buffer mix and increased room temperature stability, the new kits offer increased flexibility, speed, and the option for high-throughput workflows.  The new Mutagenesis PLUS system offers all of the single-site functionality of the current mutagenesis kits but with multi-site mutagenesis, the all-in-one enzyme/buffer mix, and increased room-temperature stability.

All products include access to Life Technologies' free online GeneArt® Primer and Construct Design Tool for Seamless or High-Order Assembly and Mutagenesis:
http://bioinfo.invitrogen.com/oligoDesigner/.

This tool facilitates the in silico design, assembly, or mutagenesis of a DNA molecule using GeneArt® technology. The GeneArt® Design Tool:

• Guides researchers through construct design, including fragment import, order, and orientation
• Checks for areas of homology and potential design issues
• Creates primers for pre-cloning or incorporating end-homology between fragments (if needed) or primers for mutagenesis, depending your workflow
• Shows updated amino acid sequence for mutagenized constructs
• Allows one-click online ordering for custom primers (not available in all countries)
• Generates final construct sequence, in GenBank format, and map files for easy download or import into Vector NTI® software

For more information, please visit www.lifetechnologies.com/GeneArt.

All products referenced are for Research Use Only. Not intended for diagnostic uses.

About Life Technologies
Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE) is a global biotechnology company with customers in more than 160 countries using its innovative solutions to solve some of today's most difficult scientific challenges. Quality and innovation are accessible to every lab with its reliable and easy-to-use solutions spanning the biological spectrum with more than 50,000 products for translational research, molecular medicine and diagnostics, stem cell-based therapies, forensics, food safety and animal health. Its systems, reagents and consumables represent some of the most cited brands in scientific research including: Ion Torrent™, Applied Biosystems®,  Invitrogen™, GIBCO®, Ambion®, Molecular Probes®, Novex®, and TaqMan®. Life Technologies employs approximately 10,400 people and upholds its ongoing commitment to innovation with more than 4,000 patents and exclusive licenses. LIFE had sales of $3.7 billion in 2011. Visit us at our website: http://www.lifetechnologies.com.

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This press release includes forward-looking statements about Life Technologies' anticipated results that involve risks and uncertainties. Some of the information contained in this press release, including, but not limited to, statements as to industry trends and Life Technologies' plans, objectives, expectations and strategy for its business, contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. When used, the words "believe," "plan," "intend," "anticipate," "target," "estimate," "expect" and the like, and/or future tense or conditional constructions ("will," "may," "could," "should," etc.), or similar expressions, identify certain of these forward-looking statements. Important factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are detailed in filings made by Life Technologies with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Life Technologies undertakes no obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

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Life Technologies Contact
Suzanne Clancy
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[email protected]

SOURCE Life Technologies Corporation