Providing researchers with an automated solution for two-step nucleic acid sample preparation

Daresbury, UK, 09 July 2019: Arcis Biotechnology (“Arcis”), the nucleic acid sample preparation solution provider, today announced it has signed a commercial distribution agreement with Opentrons, the developer of affordable pipetting robots. The agreement allows Opentrons to directly distribute Arcis’ sample preparation kits to laboratories globally, providing scientists with a complete, accessible and automated solution for high throughput RNA/DNA preservation and preparation.

Arcis’ two-step, rapid nucleic acid extraction and preservation technology enables researchers to work with a wide range of samples to prepare RNA and DNA for downstream analysis in under three minutes, without the use of beads, spin columns, harsh solvents or heat-to-prepare samples. Under the terms of the agreement, Arcis’ novel product portfolio will be made available on the Opentrons OT-2 platform, an affordable lab robot with integrated electronic pipettes, designed to make automating lab protocols accessible to more laboratories. The collaboration provides researchers with an automated and high-throughput solution for sample preparation workflows.

Peter Whitehurst, Chief Executive Officer, Arcis Biotechnology, said: “After receiving feedback from scientists wanting to use Arcis reagents to process even more samples, we are proud to demonstrate automated and affordable solutions for RNA and DNA sample preparation for a breadth of applications.” He added: “We look forward to working with Opentrons, a partner with both a powerful engineering team and a customer-centric commercial approach.”

Will Canine, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, Opentrons, commented: “Arcis’ reagent-only solution is a compelling offering for biologists, but when you automate that protocol, it offers a high-throughput sample preparation workflow for every molecular biology laboratory. This collaboration with Arcis demonstrates our commitment to support scientists’ day-to-day workflow and to ultimately speed up scientific discovery.”

The Arcis sample preparation reagents will be available for purchase through Opentrons at www.shop.opentrons.com later this summer.

About Arcis Biotechnology (www.arcisbio.com)

Based at Sci-Tech Daresbury, one of the UK’s premier science parks, Arcis Biotechnology is focused on providing fast and convenient nucleic acid sample prep solutions. Obtaining genetic material from biological samples is a critical step which is often a time consuming and inefficient process. In less than three minutes, and with no prior sample preparation, the Arcis Sample Prep range of products allow users to quickly and conveniently go from cellular material to downstream nucleic acid investigation without the need for traditional isolation or purification. The process requires no laboratory instrumentation, and as little as 30µl of sample as starting material.

The Arcis technology, including two CE marked in vitro diagnostic products, can be used on many different samples containing DNA and RNA, including whole blood, plasma, urine, buccal swabs, and soil and plant extracts, and is particularly for genotyping and pathogen detection.

About Opentrons (www.opentrons.com)

Opentrons makes automation accessible for any lab, starting with affordable pipetting robots for biologists. With its easy-to-use hardware and an open software platform, Opentrons automates manual lab work and empowers collaborative research for life scientists. Opentrons is used by scientists at 90 percent of the top 10 largest pharma companies and 90 percent of the top 50 biology research universities, and is backed by Khosla Ventures, Lerer Hippeau Ventures, and Y Combinator Continuity Fund.

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© 2019 Arcis Biotechnology, Inc. All rights reserved.