Service combines in-house scientific expertise with gene-to-protein automation and sample management products to maximise speed, efficiency and productivity
NextGen Sciences is launching a new contract service business to meet customer demands for the generation and screening of more constructs in a shorter timeframe.
The service, Contractexpress, will combine NextGen Sciences's in-house scientific expertise with the company's leading gene-to-protein suite of automation and sample management products, which perform and track molecular biology and protein expression processes to maximise speed, efficiency and productivity.
Commenting on the new service, Barry McAleer, contract services manager at NextGen Sciences, said: "Our customers believe that they have an improved chance of finding a soluble and active protein if they have the capacity to attempt larger numbers of constructs in both E coli and insect cells.
"However, many do not as yet possess this capability in house therefore by using Contractexpress they have a trusted partner with the capacity to deliver this information quickly and cost-effectively".
The contract service options include DNA sub-cloning, mutagenesis, generation of expression and transfer vectors, and optimisation of protein expression using E coli and/or baculovirus systems.
In seeking to understand more about their target proteins, eg identifying soluble and functional domains, customers can have the specific service options tailored to meet their research needs.
For example, customers can define unilaterally or in consultation with the scientists at NextGen Sciences, the exact gene fragments they want cloned, which vectors and tags to use and whether to express their proteins in bacterial or insect cells.
Using Orchestrator IMS, the scientific staff at NextGen Sciences can plan, track and control every aspect of the project in complete confidence.
Grant Cameron, NextGen Sciences's commercial director, commented: "Pressure on the pharma and biotech industries to control R and D costs while improving the yield of new, approvable drugs has generated increased customer reliance on outsourcing.
"Our team has developed considerable expertise in transferring biological procedures to instrumentation for gene cloning and protein expression using bacterial and baculovirus systems.
"We are delighted that Contractexpress provides further flexibility for our customer needs, in providing a route through which they can benefit from the innovative capabilities of our gene-to-protein automation, software and reagents."
