Tools for Addressing the SARS-CoV-2 Virus

July 30, 2020

The recent Coronavirus pandemic has led to a rapid response from the viral research and therapeutics community around the world.  These research teams need robust and reliable genomic tools to classify and characterize viral samples, and genome engineering tools to build vaccines to help stop the spread of this deadly virus.  

Twist’s unique silicon-based DNA writing platform allows for the rapid development of NGS panels for viral detection and characterization of samples, and our Clonal Genes and Gene Fragments allow for quick development of subunit vaccines from one or more antigen-presenting viral genes or peptide sequences, which bypasses the need for scientists to handle live and potentially dangerous pathogens, and minimizes the time needed to clone DNA fragments.

COVID-19 Antibody Panels

Antibodies targeting the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein and human ACE2 have been developed using Twist Biopharma’s variant library generation and screening capabilities. Candidates were cloned into human antibody IgG backbones to generate antibodies for further testing and characterization.

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Respiratory Virus Research Panel

The Twist Respiratory Virus Research Panel allows for detection of multiple viral pathogens from a single sample, detecting as little as 100 copies of viral material per virus. Coupled with analysis by One Codex, researchers can generate reports with viral species identification and create publication-ready visualizations.

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Respiratory Virus Controls

The Twist Respiratory Virus Controls enable investigation into the biology of a broad range of viruses by NGS and qPCR. Included in the panel is a range of variants with comprehensive coverage of full length synthetic virus sequences, enabling distinction between key infectious agents.

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Synthetic SARS-CoV-2 RNA Controls

Positive controls provide quality control measures for the verification and validation for point-of-care diagnostic tests including both next-generation sequencing (NGS) and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays. Twist offers fully synthetic SARS-CoV-2 RNA controls, available for 7 distinct reference sequences.

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SARS-CoV-2 Research Panels

In addition to the robust RNA standards, Twist also offers Research-Use Only (RUO) target enrichment NGS panels for viral detection and characterization of samples. These panels can be used for environmental monitoring and surveillance testing, while also providing insight into full sequence information for monitoring of viral evolution and strain origin.

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