New England Biolabs

New England Biolabs (NEB) produces and supplies recombinant and native enzyme reagents for the life science research,[1] as well as providing solutions supporting genome editing, synthetic biology and next-generation sequencing.[2] NEB also provides free access to research tools such as REBASE, InBASE, and Polbase.

New England Biolabs
Founded1974
FounderDonald Comb
Headquarters240 County Road, Ipswich, Massachusetts 01938
Key people
  • James Ellard, CEO
Number of employees
350
Websitewww.neb.com

The company

The company was established in 1974 by Donald Comb as a cooperative laboratory of experienced scientists and initially produced restriction enzymes on a commercial scale. The company then began producing solution-oriented products. It received approximately $1.7 million in Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants between 2009 and 2013 for this research.[1]

NEB produces 230 recombinant and 30 native restriction enzymes for genomic research, as well as nicking enzymes and DNA methylases. It pursues research in areas related to proteomics, DNA Sequencing, and drug discovery. NEB scientists also conduct basic research in Molecular Biology and Parasitology.[1]

The company has subsidiaries in Singapore, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, the U.K., and Australia,[1][3] and distributors in South America, Australia, and other countries in Europe and Asia.[4] Its headquarters are in Ipswich, MA. Development of the current headquarters began in 2000, and was completed in 2005.[5] Donald Comb served as the company's Chairman and CEO from the company's founding in 1974, until 2005. In 2005, he was replaced as chief executive by James Ellard, though Comb remained Chairman. NEB employs over 450 people at its headquarters.[6] As company policy, all scientists and some executives must work at least one day per month on the customer support telephone line, answering technical support questions about the company's products.[1]

Sir Richard John Roberts is the company's Chief Scientific Officer.[1][7] He shared the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Phillip Allen Sharp for the discovery of introns in eukaryotic DNA and the mechanism of gene-splicing.

In 2015, NEB committed to establishing a GMP manufacturing facility near its headquarters in Ipswich, Massachusetts,[8] and the 40,000-sq-ft facility was completed in 2018.[9] The multi-product Rowley Cleanroom Manufacturing Facility makes GMP-grade products and has a 10,000-sq-ft mechanical mezzanine.[10]

Applications and Tools

Luna kits

In January 2017, NEB released Luna universal quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) kits.[11] The Luna kits are used for DNA or RNA quantitation.[11]

NEBNext products

In December 2017, the company released the NEBNext Ultra II FS DNA library prep kit for next-generation sequencing (NGS).[12] In October 2019, NEB released a new RNA depletion product, the NEBNext Globin & rRNA Depletion Kit (Human/Mouse/Rat) and NEBNext rRNA Depletion Kit (Bacteria).[13] The kits offer specific depletion of the RNA species that interfere with the analysis of coding and non-coding RNAs.[13][14] That same month, the company announced its NEBNext Direct Genotyping Solution.[15] The product delivers a one day, automatable genotyping workflow for a variety of applications in Agricultural biotechnology.[15]

In January 2020, NEB signed an agreement with ERS Genomics Limited that gave NEB rights to sell CRISPR/Cas9 tools and reagents, used for gene editing.[16]

Cloning and synthetic biology

The NEBuilder HiFi DNA Assembly Cloning Kit and Master Mix enable one-step cloning and multiple DNA fragment assembly. The proprietary DNA polymerase in the NEBuilder HiFi enzyme mix can assemble DNA fragments ranging from 100 bp to 19 kb. NEB also offers the Gibson Assembly Master Mix.[17]

Monarch nucleic acid purification

NEB provides purification kits for both DNA and RNA. [18][19] In May 2019, NEB released the Monarch Genomic DNA Purification Kit which is designed to minimize RNA contamination and allow high-yield purification of large DNA fragments. [18] NEB’s nucleic acid purification products have been used in various studies, including:

  • Purification of genomic DNA used to discover naturally-occurring DNA modifications in bacteriophages.[20]
  • Purification of RNA from wound biopsies to study the relationship between genetics, wound microbiome diversity, and wound healing.[19]
  • Purification of genomic DNA from squid embryos used in the first gene knockout in a cephalopod.[21]
  • Purification of RNA from mouse samples in a study identifying a pathway that selectively regulates cancer stem cells, which may be responsible for treatment resistance, tumor metastasis, and disease recurrence.[22]
  • Purification of total RNA from Arabidopsis seedlings in a study demonstrating the first known response by a biological receptor to radio frequency exposure.[23]

Response to COVID-19

New England Biolabs developed a colorimetric loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for research use.[24][25] This assay can be used to test for the presence of virus through nucleic acid detection, returning results in only 30 minutes.[24] In 2020, the LAMP method was one of several molecular tests used to detect RNA from SARS-CoV-2, a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19.[26]

RNA isolation kits were also used to develop assays to detect SARS-CoV-2. NEB’s Monarch Total RNA Miniprep Kit was not designed specifically for viral RNA extraction, but it was successfully used by different companies to extract viral RNA from biological samples.[27] NEB also released a supplementary protocol for processing saliva, buccal swabs, and nasopharyngeal samples.[27]

Databases

The company runs free scientific databases. REBASE, the restriction enzyme database, contains the details of commercial and research endonucleases.[28] In 2011 the company founded Polbase, an online database which provides information specifically about polymerases.[29][30] Another free NEB database is InBase, an intein database, which includes the Intein Registry and information about each intein.[28]

Partnerships

In 2001, NEB co-founded the marine DNA library Ocean Genome Legacy (OGL), which according to the Boston Globe, “catalogues samples of organisms from all over the world, to be made available to scientists for research”. Though originally located on the NEB campus, OGLF relocated to the Nahant campus of Northeastern University in 2014.[29][30][31] To enable point-of-use sales of its reagents, NEB created a digital interface for enzyme-housing freezers to be used at customer storage sites, through a partnership with Ionia Corp. and Salesforce.com. The data is used by the company for both sales logistics and as a part of future enzyme research development.[32][33] It has also partnered with Harvard University on recycling and reclamation initiatives when its products and packaging come to the end of their use or lifecycle.[34] As of 2015, NEB also had a distribution agreement with VWR.[2]

In June 2019, NEB, Waters, and Genos announced they would work together on The Human Glycome Project, a global initiative to map the structure and function of human glycans.[35] NEB will supply a version of its Rapid PNGase F technology to aid in increased sample preparation and improve process throughput.[35]

That same month, NEB entered a partnership with Bioz, Inc., an artificial intelligence technology company, to provide its customers with access to examples of real-world applications of its products.[36]

References

Notes
  1. Philippidis, Alex (15 March 2013). "New England Biolabs Looks Past Enzymes". Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News. 33 (6): 08–09. doi:10.1089/gen.33.6.02. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  2. Staff (1 April 2015). "News: Products & Services". Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (Paper). 35 (7): 8. doi:10.1089/gen.35.21.05.
  3. "New England Biolabs, Inc. opens eighth subsidiary in Australia". Biospace. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  4. "New England BioLabs Company Overview". Business Week. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  5. Bill Archambeault (November 27, 2000). "Firm plans $70M project on Ipswich 'great estate'". Boston Business Journal. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  6. "Reforest the Tropics and New England Biolabs, Inc. enter into agreement to plant 100 hectares of forest to offset carbon emissions". August 15, 2019.
  7. Michael Hickens (April 24, 2014). "The Morning Download: Tech Giants Act to Stop 'Next Heartbleed'". Wall Street Journal.
  8. Staff (June 12, 2015). "New England Biolabs announces plans for GMP manufacturing". Pharmaceutical Processing.
  9. "Process Cooling System Saves Both Water, Energy at New England BioLabs". HPAC Engineering. 2 May 2018.
  10. "New England Biolabs, Inc". Columbia. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  11. "Universal Kits Optimized for DNA, RNA Quantitation". Clinical Lab Products. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
  12. "New England Biolabs Releases Next-Generation Sequencing Preparation Kit". Clinical Lab Products. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  13. "Bio-IT World". www.bio-itworld.com. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
  14. "New England Biolabs helps Researchers to Tackle Transcriptomics in Bacteria and Blood". The Scientist Magazine. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
  15. "New England Biolabs launches NEBNext Direct Genotyping Solution". The Scientist. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
  16. "ERS Genomics and New England Biolabs sign agreement to commercialize CRISPR/Cas9 tools, reagents". News-Medical.net. 2020-01-09. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  17. "New England Biolabs, Inc. Introduces Novel Cloning And DNA Assembly Method: NEBuilder® HiFi". BioSpace. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
  18. "New England Biolabs Monarch Genomic DNA Purification Kit". GenomeWeb. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
  19. Tipton, Craig D.; Wolcott, Randall D.; Sanford, Nicholas E.; Miller, Clint; Pathak, Gita; Silzer, Talisa K.; Sun, Jie; Fleming, Derek; Rumbaugh, Kendra P.; Little, Todd D.; Phillips, Nicole (2020-06-18). "Patient genetics is linked to chronic wound microbiome composition and healing". PLOS Pathogens. 16 (6): e1008511. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1008511. ISSN 1553-7374. PMC 7302439. PMID 32555671.
  20. "Identification and biosynthesis of thymidine hypermodifications in the genomic DNA of widespread bacterial viruses". PNAS.
  21. Crawford, Karen; Quiroz, Juan F. Diaz; Koenig, Kristen M.; Ahuja, Namrata; Albertin, Caroline B.; Rosenthal, Joshua J. C. (2020-09-07). "Highly Efficient Knockout of a Squid Pigmentation Gene". Current Biology. 30 (17): 3484–3490.e4. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2020.06.099. ISSN 0960-9822. PMID 32735817.
  22. Wang, Guohao; Xu, Junji; Zhao, Jiangsha; Yin, Weiqin; Liu, Dayong; Chen, WanJun; Hou, Steven X. (2020-01-10). "Arf1-mediated lipid metabolism sustains cancer cells and its ablation induces anti-tumor immune responses in mice". Nature Communications. 11 (1): 220. doi:10.1038/s41467-019-14046-9. ISSN 2041-1723.
  23. Albaqami, Maria; Hammad, Merfat; Pooam, Marootpong; Procopio, Maria; Sameti, Mahyar; Ritz, Thorsten; Ahmad, Margaret; Martino, Carlos F. (2020-07-09). "Arabidopsis cryptochrome is responsive to Radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields". Scientific Reports. 10 (1): 11260. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-67165-5. ISSN 2045-2322.
  24. "NYC Scientists Swab the Subway in Search of SARS-CoV-2". GEN. 2020-04-01. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  25. Tanner, NA; Evans, TC (2014). "Loop-mediated isothermal amplification for detection of nucleic acids". Curr Protoc Mol Biol. 105: Unit 15.14. doi:10.1002/0471142727.mb1514s105. PMID 24510439.
  26. Shen, Minzhe; Zhou, Ying; Ye, Jiawei; Abdullah Al-Maskri, Abdu Ahmed; Kang, Yu; Zeng, Su; Cai, Sheng (2020). "Recent advances and perspectives of nucleic acid detection for coronavirus". Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis. 10 (2): 97–101. doi:10.1016/j.jpha.2020.02.010. PMID 32292623.
  27. "Availability of RNA Isolation Kits Not as Dire as Reported".
  28. Terence A. Brown (1998). Molecular Biology Labfax, Volume 1. Elsevier. p. 41. ISBN 9780121360559. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  29. "Product Watch: Thermo Fisher's PikoReal System; New England Biolabs' Polbase". Genome Web. November 10, 2011.
  30. Rodney H. Brown (November 10, 2011). "New England Biolabs establishes polymerase database Polbase". Boston Business Journal. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  31. "Researchers collecting DNA from the ocean's depths". The Boston Globe. 2014-04-17.
  32. Nigel Fenwick (April 7, 2014). "CIOs: Choose Your Digital Future". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  33. Curt Woodward (May 6, 2014). "LogMeIn Acquires Ionia for $12M, Intensifying "Internet of Things" Focus". Xconomy. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  34. Michelle Taylor (April 8, 2014). "Collaborative Sustainability". Laboratory Equipment. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  35. "Introduction to Glycan Analysis". www.biocompare.com. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  36. "Bioz Has Partnered With NEB to Empower Life Science Researchers". BioSpace. June 13, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
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