Automating DNA assembly to drive forward the engineering of biology and unlock new applications.

CAMBRIDGE, UNITED KINGDOM— October 3, 2017 — Product design and development firm Cambridge Consultants and SGI-DNA, a Synthetic Genomics Inc. company in San Diego, CA, USA, today announce that they will be installing the first BioXp™ 3200 System in the UK. The implementation will drive forward the use of automation in the emerging fields of biodesign and synthetic biology.The BioXp™ 3200 System is the world’s first benchtop automated genomic workstation that rapidly synthesizes high-quality, double-stranded DNA fragments and clones into any vector in an overnight run.Cambridge Consultants is an early leader in the fast-emerging synthetic biology sector. With its in-house facilities, delivering rapid turnaround and innovative products, the BioXp™ 3200 System is a natural fit for the laboratory workflow and has numerous applications, including protein production, antibody library generation, and cell engineering. As well as medical breakthroughs, this could also unlock a whole host of novel applications in areas such as consumer products, novel foods and biofuels.Biodesign has wide-ranging impact and is dependent on the speed and efficiency of generating and analyzing genes. Cambridge Consultants is working with a variety of companies to help improve the systems and equipment used in biodesign; the BioXp™ 3200 System will help researchers in pursuit of solving these challenges.Richard Hammond, head of synthetic biology at Cambridge Consultants said, “We believe that the future of biodesign lies in automating processes and in turn increasing experimental throughput and reducing the time needed to develop new products. SGI-DNA shares this philosophy, and the BioXp™ 3200 instrument is a great example of this approach benefitting the synthetic biology community.”SGI-DNA President Nathan Wood said, “The future of scientific advancement is automation. By installing the BioXp™ 3200 System at Cambridge Consultants’ innovative and world-class laboratories, more groups in Europe can benefit from custom DNA projects.”More information is available at sgidna.com/bxp3200About SGI-DNASGI-DNA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Synthetic Genomics Inc., provides genomic solutions to advance scientific discovery. SGI-DNA’s ever expanding suite of products, services, reagents, bioinformatics tools and instrumentation enables scientists to discover, design and build novel solutions for basic research, as well as for biomedical and industrial applications. SGI-DNA’s genomic services include whole genome sequencing, DNA synthesis, library design, bioinformatics, cell engineering, and plasmid DNA cloning and purification. SGI-DNA’s reagents include a complete suite of Gibson Assembly® and Site Directed Mutagenesis kits as well as optimized cell lines. To further enable the synthetic biology workflow, SGI-DNA offers the BioXp™ 3200 System. This fully automated genomics workstation allows the creation of double stranded DNA fragments, automated cloning, as well as Next Generation Sequencing DNA library preparation. Building on scientific breakthroughs from J. Craig Venter, Hamilton Smith, Clyde Hutchison, Daniel Gibson and their teams, SGI-DNA is committed to reducing barriers associated with synthetic biology. More information is available at www.sgidna.com.Cambridge Consultantsdevelops breakthrough products, creates and licenses intellectual property, and provides business consultancy in technology-critical issues for clients worldwide. For more than 50 years, the company has been helping its clients turn business opportunities into commercial successes, whether they are launching first-to-market products, entering new markets or expanding existing markets through the introduction of new technologies. With a team of more than 700 staff, including engineers, scientists, mathematicians and designers, in offices in Cambridge (UK), Boston (USA) and Singapore, Cambridge Consultants offers solutions across a diverse range of industries including medical technology, industrial and consumer products, digital health, energy and wireless communications. More information is available at www.CambridgeConsultants.com.Cambridge Consultants is part of Altran, a global leader in engineering and R&D services which offers its clients a new way to innovate. Altran works alongside its clients on every link in the value chain of their project, from conception to industrialisation. In 2015, the Altran group generated revenues of €1.945bn. With a headcount of more than 27,000 employees, Altran is present in more than 20 countries. For more information, visit: www.altran.comFor further information, please contact:Cambridge Consultants Contact Corporate communicationsRichard LeylandPublic Relations ManagerCambridge Consultants+44 (0) 7989 065346richard.leyland@cambridgeconsultants.comEuropean PRDavid VindelKetchum+44 20 3755 6444CambridgeConsultants@ketchum.comUSA PRHanah JohnsonMarch Communications+1 617 960 8892CambridgeConsultants@ketchum.comSGI-DNA ContactLiz Liner, Synthetic Genomics+1 858-433-2213pr@sgidna.com