Agilent Introduces Novel Synthetic Biology System

Agilent Technologies, Inc. has introduced the first in a series of novel synthetic biology solutions for rational mutagenesis. The QuikChange HT Protein Engineering System is a site-directed mutagenesis solution that creates libraries of rationally designed protein variants.

The screening of these variants allows scientists to quickly understand protein structure and its effects on function while looking for enhanced forms, all in one experiment.

QuikChange HT enables single amino acid scanning, site saturation scanning and targeted combinatorial mutagenesis at a fraction of the cost currently offered by other synthetic gene vendors.

“Now in less than twenty-four hours, researchers can define and customize mutations for every amino acid in a whole protein or domain,” said Victor Fung, senior director of Agilent’s Diagnostics and Genomics Division. “With access to free mutagenesis software, workspace scientists can design large mutagenic libraries of up to 120,000 defined variants, with unparalleled speed, accuracy and scope.”

This new technology combines the synthesis accuracy of Oligo Library Synthesis with the benefits of QuickChange to provide researchers the most accurate and efficient targeted codon mutagenesis platform.

“QuikChange HT is a most cost-effective protein engineering system with the ability to create rational variant libraries of up to 120,000 recombinant mutants,” said Fung.

Fung continued, “It’s more cost effective to synthesize only the DNA needed to create the mutation, rather than making the entire gene. All this requires less than six hours of hands-on time and just one day to complete.”