Advances in genetics and biotechnology are being unveiled at a rate that almost outpaces the imagination. In particular, one of the areas that has been pursued most furiously and yielded the greatest improvements over the past two decades is DNA sequencing. The boundless resources and attention invested in DNA sequencing led to the long-awaited achievement of the $1,000 genome after the cost of sequencing dropped an incredible 200-fold between 2009 and 2014.But when looking back at the resources that have been dedicated to the decoding of DNA, one can’t help but notice that improvements in the sequencing of RNA have lagged behind. RNA is the undersung but still critically important cousin of DNA. It is in the form of transcribed RNA that the information encoded in DNA is transmitted to the rest of the cell. By sequencing RNA, researchers and clinicians can learn about which genes are turned on and to what degree in different cell types and under different conditions. Sequencing RNA has provided insight into the workings of organisms never before accessible and has become a powerful tool in medicine, drug discovery, and every area of biological research.While RNA sequencing technology in itself has become incredibly fast and affordable, the process still requires a complicated form of “molecular alchemy” to convert RNA molecules into a format that is machine-readable. This process is laborious, expensive, and easy to mess up.To remove this roadblock in the path to quick and easy RNA sequencing, Amaryllis Nucleics has developed a dramatically better way to execute this chemical reformatting on RNA molecules. Using completely novel molecular processes, the company has been able to cut what was previously a multi-day process down to only a few hours and make it simple enough for non-experts to perform.The motivation for developing this technology came from the founders’ needs as academic researchers who performed a great deal of RNA sequencing. They knew from first-hand experience that RNA sequencing requires an enormous time investment and is complicated and prone to failure.When Amaryllis’ founders saw what a difference their new process made in their research and that of their colleagues, they realized that the best way to spread their technology and advance the field was to create a company dedicated to that purpose and went through the IndieBio program in the third batch. Amaryllis is helping scientists and biotechnology companies to achieve their research goals faster, better, and cheaper than has ever been possible.To that end, the company is now combining their full transcript and 3-prime DGE kits to offer more flexibility to researchers, offering the first dual purpose RNA-seq kit on the market. By making RNA sequencing more accessible and reliable, they are helping expand the use of RNA in research and diagnostics and leading the charge to bring the molecule up to speed with its golden cousin.About Amaryllis Nucleics:Headquartered in Oakland California, Amaryllis Nucleics uses the most advanced chemistry for RNA sequencing sample prep to provide rapid and accurate RNA sequencing. For more information, visit www.AmaryllisNucleics.com