VIB first in Europe to use DNA printer

VIB scientists will be able to use the system to design and clone genes to answer crucial questions as to their function in biological systems. Specific applications include protein production, antibody library generation and cell engineering.

The BioX 3200, manufactured by California-based SGI-DNA, has been placed in the lab run by Thomas Jacobs in the VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology in Ghent. “The system will fundamentally change the way our research group approaches cloning,” said Dr Jacobs. “It will greatly improve our turnaround time for cloning projects, and will hopefully open up new ways to test the gene editing systems we are developing.”

This acquisition is part of VIB’s Technology Watch Initiative, which implements new and emerging technologies into its labs and other research facilities. Active since 2008, the Technology Watch programme evaluates technology investment opportunities and provides the funding to secure prototype instruments and early-stage technologies. This is useful in high-potential fields such as synthetic biology, DNA sequencing and single-cell analysis.

Photo: Ine Dehandschutter/VIB