The Russian biotechnology company Cloning Facility has expanded its range of services for its customers - now, in addition to assembling DNA, the organisation carries out a variety of customised research work.

The company creates industrially significant lines of microorganisms, transgenic plants, as well as engaged in genomic editing and directed evolution - making changes to the structures of biological molecules, giving the organisms new properties, - said the company representatives.

Genome editing is one of the most promising and promising areas of basic science, biotechnology and biomedicine at the moment.

In 2015, the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic editing technology was recognised as a breakthrough of the year by the editorial board of Science, one of the most prestigious scientific journals in the world. This technology makes it possible to deliver the right genes directly to the cells and tissues of the body or to "repair" faulty molecular processes by adding the right mutations to the DNA sequence.

There is no doubt that genomic editing will make it possible to make the transition to personalised medicine, while gene therapy already offers fundamentally new approaches for the treatment of still incurable diseases such as HIV, neurodegenerative and cancer, the company representatives explained.

Genome editing is also an important tool for solving biotechnological problems in the industrial production of biologically active substances, food additives, creating pathogen-resistant and agriculturally important plant varieties and much more. For example, the genetic designs assembled at Cloning Facility were the first to create plants that shine autonomously in the dark. These plants are not only a completely new product with an unusual aesthetic feature, but are also a powerful tool for visualising the various processes of cells and tissues in the study of plant physiology.

Research market

Cloning Facility expects the market for research and development work, including genomic editing and transgenic creation, to grow in the coming years both in Russia and abroad.

Russia has adopted the Federal Science and Technology Program for Development of Genetic Technologies for 2019-2027, the world market for biotechnology in 2018 exceeded $417 billion, and at this rate of growth, its volume will increase to $4 trillion.

The development of genetic technologies, as well as growing interest in their use in biotechnology and biomedicine, will lead to increased demand for Cloning Faculty services, which will allow the company to take a strong position both in the Russian and international biotechnology market, added the company representatives.

About the company

Cloning Facility is a Russian biotechnology company that synthesizes DNA, assembles arbitrary genetic structures and creates transgenic organisms to order. The aim of Cloning Facility is to create an ecosystem of fast and accessible biotechnological services in Russia, with the help of which commercial and scientific projects can be developed. In its work, the company relies on both modern molecular biology approaches and its own technologies.

Cloning Facility uses standardisation and automation of biological procedures, thus increasing efficiency and reducing costs.

The project is created by experts in synthetic and molecular biology with publications in scientific journals such as Nature, Nature Biotechnology and PNAS. The project's scientific team has several independently developed technologies, some of which are used in the work of Cloning Facility.

In 2019, the company was granted resident status at the Skolkovo Innovation Centre and entered the Russian market for the assembly of genetic structures. In 2020, the range of services provided by the organisation expanded to include customised research work for large industrial enterprises.

The main clients of Cloning Facility are research laboratories and biotechnology companies. In the future, the company plans to expand its presence in the Russian market and also to enter the international market.

Products

Cloning Facility produces two types of products - standardized biotechnology services (fast and cheap) and complex research (expensive).

Examples of standardized services include the creation of synthetic DNA, the assembly of complex plasmids and the creation of transgenic microorganisms.

Examples of integrated research include the development of producer strains for industry, protein purification methods, the creation of purified protein preparations, the creation of transgenic plants and animals, and genomic editing.

Author: Ksenia Gustova

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