Article

Insect DNA extraction: from tsete flies in Uganda to fruit fly pest monitoring

Insects present a specific extraction challenge: small tissue volumes, chitinous exoskeletons, and the practical reality that fieldwork generates large numbers of individual specimens that need processing quickly and reliably.

LinkedIn

From Antarctic organism to extraction kit. How the enzymes are actually made.

The origins of Exymes's enzymes is fascinating. Discovered by our CSA Dr David Saul in Antarctica, production of the enzymes at scale follows robust scientific principles.

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What RUO means in practice and why it matters

RUO can be seen as a limitation but that isn't the case. Our chemistry is rigorously tested and validated, being suitable for downstream applications.

Article

C. elegans genotype tracking. Experimental evolution without the wait

C. elegans is a widely used research organism. Being able to rapidly extract PCR-ready DNA is significant practical advantage for genetics laboratories.

Application Note

5 things that go wrong in DNA extraction and why they happen

Extraction failures normally follow a predictable pattern. We have produced a summary of the common pitfalls and what to do about them.

Publication

Mosquito species identification for malaria vector surveillance

Targeted vector control requires accurate species identification. This paper explains the methodology of field-based insect DNA extraction for microsatellite genotyping.

Article

Column vs bead vs enzymatic extraction. An honest comparison

Three methods dominate nucleic acid extraction in research and applied labs today. Each has advantages and limitations. This is what the data shows.

Publication

Environmental DNA and what portable extraction makes possible

Unlocking eDNA analysis by relieving the bottleneck in laboratory extraction using our portable field-based DNA extraction kits.

Publication

Rock lobster larval diet. DNA barcoding from 1mm of tissue

Study identified the prey of western rock lobster larvae for the first time using gut DNA sequencing, with species identity confirmed from a single 1mm leg tip extracted using prepGEM revealing a diet of colonial radiolarians and gelatinous zooplankton invisible to conventional microscopy.

Application Note

High-throughput plant SNP screening: phytoGEM and the Hydrocycler

Plant molecular breeding relies on SNP markers to select for traits without phenotyping. The bottleneck has always been extraction: getting clean, PCR-compatible DNA from hundreds or thousands of plant samples per day.

Publication

Shrimp genotyping at scale. A published industry application

In a study relating to shrimp genotyping, prepGEM was found to be cheaper with comparable results compared with DNeasy extraction methods.

Publication

Diagnosing cassava virus on a farm in Tanzania. In under 4 hours on battery power

Cassava Mosaic Virus is one of the most destructive pathogens affecting a crop that hundreds of millions of people depend on. By the time symptoms are visible, the virus has typically already spread. Using our technology, we were able to extract DNA for testing under a tree in rural Tanzania.

Application Note

Higher DNA yield per mm2 from rice, maize, tomato and Arabidopsis

DNA extraction from plants is complicated due to cell walls and inhibitors. We undertook a comparison of traditional tissue grinding and silica columns with our phytoGEM extraction kit across six plant species with excellent results.

Publication

Single cells, fingerprints and the NYC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner

DNA extraction from touched items is notoriously difficult and requires specialist methods that mitigate sample loss as part of the extraction methodology. the NY OCME evaluated our forensicGEM kit for this purpose.

Publication

Whole genome sequencing from bacteria in under 30 minutes

Whole genome sequencing of bacteria is time consuming, with the extraction phase being a bottleneck due to its duration. Using our PDQeX and prepGEM Bacteria kit, our scientists ran a comparison study with Qiagen's DNeasy, with interesting results.

Application Note

CRISPR genotyping used to take up to 6 weeks. prepGEM cuts that to 48 hours.

CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing transforms cell biology research. Using prepGEM, clone selection time from editing to confirmed sequence drops from around a month to a day.

Application Note

Cigarette butts, 21 brands and why inhibition is the real problem

Cigarette butts are a volume type evidence type, but due to inhibitors, post-extraction purification adds complexity. An alternative approach using Exymes extraction offers a single closed-tube method without needing post-extraction purification steps.

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From a burned body to a full DNA profile in under 2.5 hours

Extracting DNA from bone is important for forensic applications as bone is often the only tissue that survives decomposition or fire. Our extraction chemistry can extract DNA rapidly from bone samples.

Application Note

Full STR profiles at 1:10,000 dilution. What that means in practice

Our forensicGEM Sperm extraction kit extracts higher DNA concentrations with better heterozygote peak balance and intracolour balance.

Application Note

Why plant DNA extraction is harder than most people think

Extracting high-quality DNA from plant material involves two distinct problems that conventional kits often handle poorly. phytoGEM addresses both issues using the same multi-temperature enzyme strategy as the rest of the Exymes range.

Application Note

prepGEM Universal: DNA extraction from cell to result in under 20 minutes

prepGEM Universal is the core of the Exymes range: a single-tube extraction kit suitable for cell culture, blood, saliva, solid tissue, hair, and tape lifts. It has significant advantages over ProK extraction approaches.

Application Note

Bone DNA extraction: why it is hard and what boneGEM does differently

Bone is incredibly challenging to extract DNA from due to its mineralised matrix and PCR inhibitors due to these inorganic compounds. Unlike boneGEM, conventional extraction requires extended durations, transfer steps and introducing additional inhibitors.

Application Note

forensicGEM Universal: what it does and why the chemistry matters

forensicGEM was developed specifically for the demands of forensic casework, where sample volumes are often small, material is frequently degraded and the extract must be clean enough for STR analysis.

LinkedIn

Why temperature does a better job than chemistry

Conventional nucleic acid extraction using chemical interventions to disrupt cell membranes and extract DNA has significant disadvantages over using extremophilic enzymes.

LinkedIn

Where it all began

The origin of our enzymes is really interesting and showcases why they are unique in their outstanding extraction performance.

Video

Overcoming Legacy Drag in the Forensic Lab

5-Minute Extraction for Human Identification. A technical demonstration of the single-step enzymatic process. See how we eliminate the wash-step bottleneck and reduce plastic waste while preserving evidence quality for STR analysis

Video

The PhytoGEM Advantage: Precision Plant Extraction

Releasing Stable DNA/RNA from Complex Plant Matrices. An overview of multi-activation temperature protocols that penetrate tough cell walls for rapid pathogen detection and barcode-based storage

Video

Frontier Science in the Field

How we’re using DNA tech to help farmers fight crop diseases. Watch Assoc. Prof. Laura Boykin’s TED Talk on the real-world impact of portable, enzymatic extraction in sub-Saharan Africa.