• IP covers novel method for assembly and error removal in DNA synthesis on silicon chips
• Patented technology will enable a new generation of in-lab DNA synthesis platforms

Cambridge, UK – EVONETIX LTD (‘Evonetix’), the synthetic biology company bringing semiconductor technology to DNA synthesis, today announced it has been granted a European patent covering its unique Binary Assembly method for gene synthesis. The patent (EP 3688189 B1) further strengthens Evonetix’s IP portfolio and is a key milestone in the Company’s strategy to simplify gene synthesis for users and enable a new generation of in-lab DNA synthesis platforms.

Evonetix’s novel semiconductor-based synthesis chip uses precise temperature control to manage the DNA synthesis cycle at thousands of individually addressable sites across the surface of the chip. The patented method allows for the assembly of long DNA molecules “on-chip” while also removing synthesis errors during the assembly process. The combination of error removal and assembly processes results in a far greater proportion of accurate gene sequences than through conventional assembly methods, greatly simplifying downstream processing.

Binary assembly utilises the charged nature of DNA molecules, combined with precision liquid flow, to move DNA between synthesis and assembly sites on the surface of a semiconductor chip, bringing together complementary sequences. Thermal control separates error containing sequences from those with correct homology based on changes in melting temperatures. Thousands of sites can be arrayed across a single chip surface, enabling large scale parallel synthesis and assembly.

In April 2022 Evonetix was granted patent EP3551331B1 in Europe for its proprietary thermal control technology for DNA synthesis.

Matthew Hayes, Chief Technology Officer at Evonetix, commented: “Our Binary Assembly method is at the core of Evonetix technology. By completing full gene synthesis on one of our semiconductor chips, we can bring the prospect of a desktop DNA printer to thousands of labs. Securing this foundational IP across Europe is both a validation of the novel nature of this approach and confirms a key part of the value of the Company.”

For more information about Evonetix, please visit: www.evonetix.com.

About Evonetix Ltd – www.evonetix.com

Evonetix is reimagining biology by developing a radically different approach to gene synthesis – a highly parallel desktop platform to synthesise DNA at unprecedented accuracy and scale. The technology builds on scalability and density from the semiconductor industry to deliver a step-change in performance for the production of DNA. The company’s platform will place DNA synthesis in the hands of every researcher and change how DNA is accessed, made and used. This new paradigm in gene synthesis will facilitate and enable the rapidly growing field of synthetic biology.

The proprietary Evonetix approach utilises a silicon chip, made by MEMS processing, that integrates physics with biology, and controls the synthesis of DNA at many thousands of independently controlled reaction sites or ‘pixels’ on the chip surface in a highly parallel fashion. The approach is compatible with both chemical and enzymatic DNA synthesis. Following synthesis, strands are assembled on-chip into double-stranded DNA in a process that identifies and removes errors, providing accuracy that is several orders of magnitude better than the conventional approach.

The Evonetix DNA writer will be a desktop device, available to every researcher, and providing scalable, accurate DNA synthesis to enable biological systems to be engineered with unprecedented accuracy and scale – this is third-generation DNA synthesis.