Touchlight Genetics: The Next Stage in DNA Production for Therapeutic and Industrial Applications

Health & Medicine
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April 1, 2015

Touchlight Genetics is the next and potentially ultimate step in the rapid development of DNA based technologies. They have streamlined the DNA production process considerably and have completely cut down the need for extraneous sequences like antibiotic resistance markers and origins of replication. Their Doggybone DNA (dbDNA) technology (so named for it’s schematic shape), produces fully functional, stable DNA sequences with almost no extra sequences flanking the desired DNA construct, except for very short protelomerase binding sites.In addition to it’s efficiency, the production of the DNA is extremely high quality, and doesn’t require microorganisms or large fermentation reactors commonly used in plasmid production. They create their dbDNA with just two enzymes: a strand displacing polymerase to rapidly create massive amounts of DNA through a modified PCR process, and then a protelomerase that cuts the DNA at specified sites and ligates the ends into a stable and closed configuration as seen in the above image. A short animation on their website details the process nicely.Jonny Ohlson, Founder and CEO of Touchlight Genetics, began the company with what he called a “naive idea” that “DNA synthesis achieved away from any bacteria contaminants would be a more efficient” method than fermentation and after much due diligence on the part of his scientific colleagues, his “naiveté” ended up being anything but. He explained that “The 20th century was defined by the computer and that permeated through every walk of business life, and when they sequenced the human genome,” he believed DNA technologies would define the 21st century as we begin to understand the “algorithm for life”.As the idea took shape, Jonny brought on Dr. Clive Dix, one of the leading figures in British Biotechnology, to help chair and mentor his scientific team, as well as Dr. Neil Porter, another veteran of the biotechnology industry, to be his Head of Core Research. As Touchlight Genetics grew, Jonny structured the company around the idea of having “extremely bright young scientists mentored by people who have been around the block.”I spoke with one such young scientist, Dr. Lisa Caproni, so she could explain why their dbDNA is such a promising technology. There are a long list of applications from DNA vaccines, monoclonal antibody production, cell therapy, RNAi, immunotherapy, and non-therapeutic protein production that are all being developed. All of their applications come with the benefit of the versatility and stability of DNA. Lisa explained, “If you deliver RNA the half life of the molecule tends not to be particularly brilliant. But if you take a DNA construct that would encode for the shRNA or mRNA, you get the stability that comes with DNA but much easier manufacturing so the cost is reduced. This is something we are particularly interested in.”Another big selling point is reducing the need for origins of replication and antibiotic resistance. Jonny pointed out that there is a lot of “noise” from European regulators that believe “antibiotic resistance is a seriously big problem, so a construct that doesn’t have any antibiotic resistant genes is very appealing.” The company is most actively pursuing DNA vaccines, and ensuring the DNA constructs are free of contaminants is a strong selling point.

It’s clear to see that any existing or future DNA application would benefit from the efficiency of dbDNA, however for therapeutic uses it will face the same issues any DNA based application does, namely targeted delivery into cells. Lisa believes that early failures in DNA vaccines were caused by non-optimized plasmids, and the use of basic needle and syringe technologies. She pointed to the continued development of ballistic technology, electroporation, and nanoparticles as very promising delivery methods.Even so, there is plenty of use for dbDNA in the biotechnology market, and Touchlight Genetics is anticipating and fostering that growth by moving into a beautiful refurbished Victorian, purpose-built factory by the Thames at Hampton. The diversity of their company should allow them to expand into any field of their choosing - however, currently they are exploring all options before they limit themselves to a particular application, and could potentially remain as a very large and diverse company.Lisa Caproni of Touchlight Genetics will be speaking at SynBioBeta's London conference in April. For more information click here!

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