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Sigma® Life Science reaches milestone in gene editing

Publication date: 3 August 2011
Author: kdm communications limited

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Sigma Life Science, the innovative biological products and services research business of Sigma-Aldrich® (Nasdaq:SIAL), today announced a major breakthrough in the development of its proprietary CompoZr zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) technology with the release of more Knockout ZFNs covering the entire genomes of both mice and rats while reducing by half the pricing of products within the CompoZr ZFN portfolio. A new dedicated high-throughput manufacturing center, together with advances in ZFN design algorithms and production processes, has led to cost reductions in the development and production for both CompoZr Custom and Knockout ZFNs. This has allowed Sigma Life Science to extend the range of its Knockout ZFNs and to make ZFN technology more affordable to the scientific community. For more information visit www.sigma.com/zfn.

The increased capacity of the new manufacturing facility allows Sigma Life Science to rapidly develop its CompoZr Knockout ZFN portfolio, bringing the advantages of this technology to many previously underserved research fields. The expansion of the Knockout ZFNs for every mouse and rat gene is in its initial phase, which complements the existing range of Knockout ZFNs for the entire human genome. This exciting milestone in genome editing can enable the scientific community to pursue previously unachievable research quickly and easily with validated tools, avoiding the cost, time and uncertainty associated with other techniques.

ZFN technology has been widely recognized as the most efficient and versatile method of genetic engineering for cell lines and whole organisms, offering precisely targeted, permanent and heritable modifications in a fraction of the time required using more traditional technologies. ZFNs have been broadly adopted within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors, but the high cost of designing and manufacturing CompoZr ZFNs has at times limited the research community’s access to this technology. To address this issue, Sigma Life Science invested heavily in advancing both its design and production processes to drive down costs and in a effort to help researchers accelerate scientific discovery. The new development and manufacturing facility is expected to ensure affordable pricing for Sigma’s complete range of CompoZr ZFN offerings and further extend the scope of this powerful genome editing technology.

David Smoller, Chief Scientific Officer at Sigma Life Science, commented: “Sigma Life Science has reached another milestone in our quest to provide the research community with greater access to ZFN technology. CompoZr ZFNs are now available in multiple formats, multiple species and at more accessible pricing. It is now our objective to continue to drive the development of new applications for CompoZr ZFNs while maintaining this vital affordability.”

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