Business terms in the field Flashcards
OEM or “OEM’ing”
OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer. It is a term used in the manufacturing industry to describe companies that produce components or products that are sold to other companies to be integrated into their own products.
What are some products/companies that Twist has OEM’s with?
Illumina: Twist and Illumina co-developed the Twist Bioscience for Illumina Exome 2.0 Plus panel, designed for use on Illumina sequencers. Twist manufactures this panel, which incorporates an updated set of protein-coding content, disease-associated, and non-coding variants relevant to research applications.
TWIST BIOSCIENCE INVESTORS
GenapSys: In partnership with GenapSys, Twist provides a comprehensive range of target enrichment and library preparation tools for NGS. This collaboration enables GenapSys customers to access optimized assays, including cancer test panels and whole human exome sequencing.
TWIST BIOSCIENCE INVESTORS
Berry Genomics: Twist collaborates with Berry Genomics to offer NGS target enrichment and library preparation tools in China. This partnership combines Berry Genomics’ sequencing expertise with Twist’s manufacturing capabilities to deliver assays for cancer diagnosis and genetic disease research.
PRESS RELEASE SERVICES
Watchmaker Genomics: Twist and Watchmaker Genomics have partnered to enhance high-throughput NGS applications. Their collaboration focuses on oncology, tumor profiling, inherited disease detection, liquid biopsy assays, and minimal residual disease monitoring.
NGS
Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS)
Definition: A high-throughput method used to sequence DNA and RNA, enabling rapid and comprehensive genomic analysis. Key technologies include Illumina, PacBio, and Oxford Nanopore.
Why it’s important: Understanding NGS is foundational to your role. You’ll be discussing various sequencing platforms and their applications.
Target Enrichment
- Target Enrichment
Definition: A method used to selectively capture and sequence specific regions of the genome, such as exons, genes, or cancer-related mutations.
Why it’s important: Twist offers high-quality target enrichment products for a variety of applications. Familiarize yourself with these offerings.
Custom panels
Custom Panels
Definition: Panels that are specifically designed to target particular genes, mutations, or pathways based on a customer’s unique needs, often used in clinical or research settings.
Why it’s important: Custom panels are a big selling point for Twist’s customers, allowing them to tailor their sequencing efforts to specific targets.
Bioinformatics
- Bioinformatics
Definition: The use of software and algorithms to interpret and analyze the large data sets generated by NGS.
Why it’s important: Understanding bioinformatics solutions or partnerships related to Twist’s products (e.g., data analysis pipelines) can help you support customers using NGS data.
Gene Editing
Gene Editing
Definition: A molecular biology method used to alter the DNA of an organism. CRISPR-Cas9 is one of the most popular gene-editing tools.
Why it’s important: Twist offers products related to gene editing, and being familiar with this area helps position Twist’s products in research related to gene modification.
Library Prep
Library Preparation
Definition: The process of preparing DNA or RNA samples for sequencing by adding specific adapters and preparing the sequenceable fragments.
Why it’s important: Twist provides high-quality library preparation products. You’ll need to explain their benefits to customers.
OEM
- OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer)
Definition: A company that manufactures products or components that are used in another company’s final product.
Why it’s important: Twist collaborates with OEM partners to provide sequencing solutions. Familiarize yourself with these partnerships to better support customers using these solutions.
TAT
Turnaround Time (TAT)
Definition: The amount of time it takes to complete a service or product from start to finish.
Why it’s important: Customers often prioritize TAT, especially in clinical and diagnostics applications. Understanding this can help you set realistic expectations.
Accuracy and Precision
Accuracy and Precision
Definition: Accuracy refers to how close a measurement is to the true value, and precision refers to how consistent results are across repetitions.
Why it’s important: NGS customers care deeply about the accuracy and precision of their sequencing results. You’ll need to discuss how Twist’s products deliver high-quality data.
Regulatory Compliance
Regulatory Compliance (e.g., CLIA, FDA)
Definition: Regulations that govern medical devices, diagnostic tests, and laboratory processes in certain markets (e.g., CLIA for laboratories, FDA for devices).
Why it’s important: Many customers in the clinical space will require compliance with these standards. Twist’s products may need to meet these requirements, and you’ll need to explain this.
BED files
BED files are a standard file format used to describe genomic regions. They are typically used to represent data related to targeted sequencing, genomic intervals, or regions of interest in a genome, such as exons, genes, or specific mutations. The name “BED” comes from the term “Browser Extensible Data,” and these files are often used in genome browsers like UCSC Genome Browser to visualize specific regions of a genome.
In summary, BED files are a vital part of NGS data analysis and are used to define and manage regions of interest in genomic studies, such as targeted sequencing, variant analysis, and visualization.
WGS
Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS)
What it is: Sequencing of the entire genome, including all coding and non-coding regions.
Why it’s important: Scientists may ask about Twist’s ability to support WGS applications for comprehensive genetic analysis.
WES
Whole Exome Sequencing (WES)
What it is: A technique that sequences only the protein-coding regions of the genome (the exome).
Why it’s important: WES is widely used in disease research and genetic diagnostics. Twist offers exome capture kits, and scientists may ask how Twist’s products compare to others in this area.
Reads and Read Length
Reads and Read Length
What it is: A “read” is a sequence of DNA fragments generated during NGS. Read length refers to the number of bases sequenced per read.
Why it’s important: Scientists might ask about the quality of Twist’s sequencing products and whether they can support long-read sequencing or short-read applications.
Library Prep
What it is: The process of converting DNA or RNA samples into a format suitable for sequencing by adding adapters and primers.
Why it’s important: Library preparation is crucial for sequencing accuracy. Scientists will want to know if Twist offers high-quality, efficient library prep kits for specific types of samples (e.g., FFPE, cfDNA).
PCR and qPCR
What it is: PCR is used to amplify specific DNA sequences, and quantitative PCR (qPCR) quantifies DNA in real time.
Why it’s important: Many NGS applications require PCR to enrich target regions. Researchers may ask about the compatibility of Twist products with PCR-based enrichment methods.
Variant Calling
Variant Calling
What it is: The process of identifying variations (e.g., SNPs, indels) in the sequenced data compared to a reference genome.
Why it’s important: Scientists will want to ensure that Twist’s products can be used in accurate variant detection, especially in clinical or diagnostic settings.
Depth of Coverage
Coverage
What it is: The number of times a specific genomic region is sequenced, affecting the accuracy of variant detection.
Why it’s important: Customers will ask about the coverage uniformity and how Twist’s products ensure high-depth coverage for sensitive applications like rare variant discovery.
High Throughput Seq
High Throughput Sequencing (HTS)
What it is: The ability to sequence large amounts of DNA in parallel, providing massive amounts of data in a short period.
Why it’s important: You’ll be selling products that enable HTS. Scientists might inquire about how Twist’s technology supports scalability for large-scale projects.
Methylation Seq
Methylation Sequencing
What it is: A sequencing technique that identifies DNA methylation patterns, which play a role in gene expression regulation.
Why it’s important: Twist offers products for targeted methylation sequencing. Scientists working on epigenetics might ask about the accuracy and coverage for methylation profiling.
RNA Seq
RNA-Seq
What it is: A sequencing method used to examine the transcriptome, identifying and quantifying RNA molecules in a sample.
Why it’s important: Scientists involved in gene expression or transcriptomics may inquire about Twist’s offerings for RNA-Seq, including library prep kits and target enrichment.
WTS
. Whole Transcriptome Sequencing (WTS)
What it is: Sequencing of all RNA molecules in a sample, which includes mRNA and non-coding RNAs.
Why it’s important: Similar to RNA-Seq, WTS is used for comprehensive transcript analysis. Researchers may ask if Twist can provide solutions for this broad application.
