Ansa Biotechnologies Sets New Standard in Long, Complex DNA

Ansa Biotechnologies, Inc., the trusted partner for complex DNA synthesis, announced that it can now deliver its Ansa Clonal DNA product in lengths up to 5 kb. The longer constructs are made possible due to a new proprietary, sequence-agnostic assembly technology that was recently validated and released into production. Combining its complex DNA synthesis platform with a unique long-read sequencing and analysis approach for quality control allows Ansa to produce long, complex DNA more accurately and reliably than any other DNA synthesis vendor.

Ansa’s innovative platform enables direct synthesis of complex DNA sequences that other vendors are unable to produce. Its core synthesis technology produces contiguous sequences as long as 600 bases without the complexity limitations inherent to chemical DNA synthesis and other enzymatic DNA synthesis techniques. These 600-mers can serve as excellent building blocks for assembling longer sequences. However, all conventional assembly techniques feature some type of sequence constraint that makes them incompatible with certain DNA elements, preventing construction of the full range of sequences needed to advance biological engineering and the development of new therapeutics and sustainable products.

To overcome this challenge, Ansa’s R&D team developed a proprietary, sequence-agnostic assembly technology. Now, the process has been validated and implemented in Ansa’s DNA production facility, allowing Ansa to serve customers looking for DNA as long as 5 kb — even if those sequences include highly complex features such as repeats, hairpins, strong secondary structures, high GC content, and homopolymers. Once DNA has been synthesized and assembled, its sequence is verified using a highly accurate long-read sequencing technology paired with a unique informatics and analysis pipeline to ensure customers receive the exact DNA product they expect.

“Ansa was founded by synthetic biologists who deeply understood the frustrations associated with ordering — but often not receiving — the complex DNA they needed to enable important experiments,” said Jason T. Gammack, CEO of Ansa Biotechnologies. “Our entire production process has been developed around the goal of delivering a fresh experience for customers who need complex synthetic DNA and are sick of having their orders rejected, delayed, or unfulfilled by traditional vendors. At Ansa, we are committed to delivering complete orders, on time, with industry-leading accuracy and reliability so our customers can achieve scientific breakthroughs in biological engineering, novel therapies, and sustainable solutions.”

“Prior to working with Ansa, we had experienced several complex DNA sequence failures from an established vendor,” said Bo Jing, Vice President of Genome Design at Replay, a genome writing company. “Ansa provided the exact sequence we needed on the first attempt. We are able to work together to achieve our goals and complete projects that would have been impossible otherwise.”

Ansa’s enzymatic approach eliminates the need for harsh chemicals and does not damage the molecule as it is synthesized, enabling the direct synthesis of much longer strands than is possible with legacy chemical DNA synthesis techniques. Manufactured entirely in the USA, the Ansa products are easy to use and integrate into experimental workflows.