RootPath announced today the US launch of its flagship product, RootPath Custom Gene Library. Similar to conventional gene synthesis products, this product is delivered as individual, sequence-verified plasmids in 96- or 384-well plates. However, the cost is significantly lower. In high-throughput mode, customers can obtain synthetic genes at merely 4 cents per base pair (bp), compared to 9 to 15 cents offered by conventional gene synthesis providers. This product represents a new paradigm in the gene synthesis market.
RootPath Custom Gene Library was created to meet the growing demand in affordable, high-throughput gene synthesis in fields such as basic life science research, drug development, and synthetic biology. With development of technologies such as NextGen Sequencing, single-cell sequencing and generative AI, scientists can readily generate hundreds to thousands of candidate gene sequences whose functionalities need to be ascertained by wet-lab experiments. All of these applications require de novo synthesis of hundreds to thousands of genes.
However, the cost of traditional gene synthesis ranges from 9 to 15 cents per bp. This means, a custom gene library made of 1,000 genes with average length of 1.5 kilobase (kb) typically costs between $135,000 to $225,000, exceeding budgets of most R&D projects. RootPath’s novel product, however, slashes this cost to approximately $60,000, setting a global record for affordability.
RootPath was able to achieve such cost reduction thanks to its proprietary, patent-pending technology called PathFinder DNA AssemblyTM, which differs from conventional methods by allowing parallel assembly of thousands of genes in the same test tube simultaneously. Nevertheless, the quality of the product is uncompromised. The end product mirrors traditional gene synthesis, encompassing sequence-verified plasmids obtained by screening E. coli colonies.
RootPath offers a range of plasmid vectors, including standard vectors like pUC19, pET-11a, as well as customer-provided ones. Currently, standard RootPath Custom Gene Library supports gene lengths from 450 bp to 2.5 kb. However, potential customers can inquire about longer genes up to 10 kb long. Additionally, for libraries of antibody genes, RootPath can also provide antibody protein expression, purification, and characterization services at competitive prices.
RootPath Custom Gene Library was launched in China earlier this year and was met with broad enthusiasm. RootPath has already commercially delivered thousands of genes to its early-adopter customers.
Xi Chen, the founder and CEO of RootPath, said, “The cost of gene sequencing has dropped 10,000-fold in the past 20 years, making many previously unimaginable experimental methods routines in today’s labs. In contrast, the cost of gene synthesis has remained high. We have honed our massively parallel gene assembly technology over many years and are proud to bring it to the market now. We hope this new product will make many previously cost-prohibitive research ideas a reality. In the future, we will continue to strive to further reduce costs and shorten turnaround time, better serving the broader scientific community.
