The "Twist" way Flashcards
Most competitors use a 96 well plate. How does Twist stand out?
Twist uses a silicon chip which allows for 1 million oligos (small DNA) per chip. Which is 10,000 x the amount per run compared to a 96 well plate. This allows for more efficiency, cost savings on products and faster sequencing.
> 1 million oligos = 9,600 genes; 10,000X more genes at a time.
What are some other ways that Twist stands out?
- Lower chemical usage
- fast+ high throughput
- Uniform Synthesis which leads to uniform amplification and uniform capture.
- Balancing probes in a way that is “unbiased”.
what does high throughput mean?
In the context of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS), high throughput refers to the ability to sequence a large number of DNA or RNA samples or generate large amounts of sequencing data in a short period of time. It essentially means the technology can process many samples or sequencing reactions simultaneously, leading to faster and more efficient results.
what are some other benefits to using Twist?
- uniform capture- capturing all target regions w/ equal efficiency, regardless of GC content.
What does GC content mean?
In Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS), GC content refers to the percentage of nucleotides in a DNA sequence that are either guanine (G) or cytosine (C), as compared to the total number of nucleotides (which includes adenine (A) and thymine (T) as well).
For example, in a DNA sequence of 100 bases:
If there are 40 G’s and C’s, the GC content would be 40%.
If there are 50 G’s and C’s, the GC content would be 50%.
Understanding GC content is essential for designing effective PCR primers, as high GC content can lead to higher melting temperatures, which can be problematic for PCR amplification
GC base pairs form three hydrogen bonds, compared to the two hydrogen bonds in AT base pairs, making GC-rich regions more thermally stable and resistant to denaturation. This is crucial for maintaining the integrity of DNA, especially in organisms that live in extreme environments
what is the benefit of the Twist probes?
They are double-stranded, “two shots on goal”. they can capture both sense and anti-sense strands.
what does sense and anti sense mean?
Sense strand: The “coding” strand of DNA that carries the information used for protein synthesis.
Antisense strand: The opposite, complementary strand of DNA, used as a template to create mRNA.
why is this important and a highlight of one of the twist offerings?
Double-Stranded Probes:
Probes in NGS are short segments of DNA or RNA that are designed to bind (hybridize) to specific regions of the target genome.
Twist double-stranded probes are designed to bind to both strands of the DNA (sense and antisense strands), meaning they can capture and sequence both sides of the DNA during the sequencing process.
This is important because in many sequencing applications, you want to capture both strands of DNA to get comprehensive, accurate information. By capturing both the sense and antisense strands, you ensure that you’re not missing important information on either strand of the DNA.
Why is this important in NGS?
Improved Capture and Coverage:
When Twist’s double-stranded probes bind to both the sense and antisense strands, it means that no matter which strand of the DNA is being sequenced, the probe is capable of “capturing” the region of interest efficiently. This can result in better and more uniform sequencing coverage, reducing gaps or biases in the data.
Avoiding Strand-Specific Bias:
Some sequencing technologies can have a strand bias, where they might preferentially capture one strand over the other, potentially leading to missing or distorted data. By using double-stranded probes, this strand bias is reduced, and both strands of DNA are captured more equally, resulting in more accurate data.
Comprehensive Data Collection:
For certain applications, such as RNA sequencing or whole-genome sequencing, it’s crucial to capture the information from both the sense and antisense strands. For example, certain genes or regulatory elements might only be present on one strand, and having both captured ensures that you’re not missing key information that might be important for your research.
Simple Analogy: Think about at Tempus when you always said “something could be hiding in the DNA that would be missed in the RNA, well… this speaks to that, being able to capture both sense and anti sense strands ensures that nothing is missed during the “target capture”.
Love this analogy!
Think of the DNA strands like a book with two pages:
One page (sense strand) has the main content written out.
The other page (antisense strand) contains complementary information that is needed to understand the full meaning of the content.
If you only read one page (either the sense or antisense strand), you might miss important context. By using Twist’s double-stranded probes, you’re essentially reading both pages of the book, ensuring you get the full, accurate story.
why is Twist QC and ISO certification so important and something to highlight to customers?
QC processes ensure that every batch of products (like probes, panels, or reagents) is tested for consistency, purity, and accuracy before being delivered to customers.
For example, in Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS), it’s critical that the probes and panels used for sequencing are precise and perform consistently, as any defects or variation could affect the accuracy of the sequencing data and potentially lead to incorrect conclusions or missed insights.
ISO certifications confirm that Twist adheres to international standards in manufacturing and product development, meaning their products are consistently of high quality, which is crucial for sensitive research applications, like disease diagnosis or drug development.
what is an analogy for QC and ISO Cert?
Analogy: Think of QC and ISO certification like a trusted recipe for a bakery. The bakery consistently follows a proven method to make their bread or cakes, ensuring that every batch tastes as good as the last one. Similarly, QC and ISO certification ensure that Twist’s products are reliable and perform as expected.
