Bioo Scientific Partners with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai to Reduce Ligation Bias in Next Generation Sequencing

February 9, 2015 – Bioo Scientific, a leading provider of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) library preparation kits, has formed a partnership with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai to bring to market randomized adapter technology to reduce ligation bias in NGS. Bioo Scientific has incorporated this patent pending technology into its NEXTflex™ Small RNA-Seq Library Prep Kit v2. Ligation bias is reduced in libraries made using the NEXTflex Small RNA-Seq Library Prep Kit v2 and more accurate sequencing data is obtained. Previously published results (Jayaprakash, 2011) illustrate the utility of incorporating randomized adapters in small RNA library preparation in the dramatic reduction of ligation bias.

The approach utilized in the NEXTflex Small RNA-Seq Library Prep Kit v2 uses a pool of adapters containing randomized sequences at the ligation site. Because no single adapter sequence is able to efficiently ligate to all small RNAs, the target sequence, as well as the adapter sequence, is ordinarily a source of bias. This randomized adapter strategy allows small RNAs of any sequence to “find” their respective optimal adapters, resulting in small RNA libraries with a dramatic reduction in bias.

Ravi Sachidanandam, Assistant Professor of Oncological Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine, who initially explored small RNA-Seq bias reduction using randomized adapters, states “Biases in sample prep are the bane of small RNA profiling through sequencing. We have shown that the T4-RNA ligases used in sample preparation are the predominant cause of bias as they mediate sequence-specific ligations.  This bias can be ameliorated through the use of our randomized adapter technology. Through our partnership with Bioo Scientific we hope to make this technology available to all researchers interested in improving the accuracy of their small RNA-Seq analysis.”

According to Masoud Toloue, PhD., VP of Genomic Research for Bioo Scientific, “The NEXTflex Small RNA-Seq Library Prep Kit v2 is the only commercially available kit that incorporates this innovative randomized adapter technology to reduce ligation bias. The reduction of this bias is critical for increasing the accuracy of small RNA-Seq library preparation, specifically the differential expression of small RNAs.”

To learn how the NEXTflex Small RNA-Seq Library Prep Kit v2 can improve your small RNA-Seq analysis, please visit www.biooscientific.com/smallRNA.

The licensing agreement was managed by Mount Sinai Innovation Partners, the technology development and commercialization group at Mount Sinai.

Jayaprakash, A. D., Jabado O., Brown, B. D. and Sachidanandam, R. (Sept 2, 2011), Identification and remediation of biases in the activity of RNA ligases in small-RNA deep sequencing Nuc Acid Res, 1–12. doi:10.1093/nar/gkr693.

About Bioo Scientific Corporation
Bioo Scientific is an Austin, TX based biotechnology company that provides innovative solutions to the life science industry. Bioo Scientific offers a complete portfolio of products that increase the sensitivity, flexibility and speed of next-generation sequencing.

Bioo Scientific’s products are used around the world, and can be purchased directly or through our global distribution network with markets in more than 100 countries. For more information about Bioo Scientific’s NGS product line, visit our website at www.BiooScientific.com.

About Mount Sinai Innovation Partners
Mount Sinai Innovation Partners (MSIP) facilitates the real-world application and commercialization of Mount Sinai discoveries and the development of research partnerships with industry. MSIP is responsible for the full spectrum of commercialization activities required to bring the Icahn School of Medicine’s inventions to life. These activities include evaluating, patenting, marketing, and licensing new technologies, while also engaging commercial and non-profit relationships for sponsored research, material transfer, and confidentiality. For more information, visit www.ip.mountsinai.org.

About the Mount Sinai Health System
The Mount Sinai Health System is an integrated health system committed to providing distinguished care, conducting transformative research, and advancing biomedical education. Structured around seven member hospital campuses and a single medical school, the Health System has an extensive ambulatory network and a range of inpatient and outpatient services—from community-based facilities to tertiary and quaternary care. The System includes approximately 6,600 primary and specialty care physicians, 12-minority-owned free-standing ambulatory surgery centers, over 45 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City,Westchester, and Long Island, as well as 31 affiliated community health centers. Physicians are affiliated with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, which is ranked among the top 20 medical schools both in National Institutes of Health funding and by U.S. News & World Report. For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org, or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.