Purigen Biosystems, Inc., a leading provider of next-generation technologies for extracting and purifying nucleic acids from biological samples, announced a new distribution agreement with Bonsai Lab earlier this year. Under the terms of the agreement, Bonsai Lab has received exclusive rights to distribute, service, and support Purigen's automated Ionic Purification System and microfluidic kits in Portugal and Spain. Clinical and oncology researchers in these countries are now able to purchase and use the automated system, which received a CE (Conformité Européene) marking in May 2021, to extract higher yields of purified DNA and RNA from challenging samples in one hour with minimal hands-on time.

"Bonsai Lab is proud to bring innovative genomic technologies from around the world to our customers in Spain and Portugal," according to Rafael Calderón, Managing Director at Bonsai Lab. "Purigen's best-in-class purification tools will allow our clients to simplify their sample prep workflows and generate high yields of DNA or RNA from different types of biological samples for next-generation sequencing, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and other analysis protocols."

Launched in the US market in 2019, the small benchtop Ionic Purification System enables the automated extraction of nucleic acids with dramatically increased yield and quality from a wide range of sample types, including cultured or sorted cells and formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues. Biological samples are gently lysed and then loaded into the Ionic Fluidics Chip. The system then applies an electrical field to the chip and the nucleic acids are isolated in their native form using the company's core isotachophoresis (ITP) technology. Since the nucleic acids are not bound or stripped from fixed surfaces, nucleic acid loss and fragmentation are minimized while purification-induced bias is eliminated. The simplified workflow requires minimal hands-on time and ensures that sufficient amounts of nucleic acid are available for all downstream analysis techniques, such as next-generation sequencing and qPCR.

"Bonsai Lab is the premier next-generation genomics technology provider in Spain and Portugal," according to Aziz Mustafa, PhD, Senior Director of European Sales and Business Development for Purigen Biosystems. "This agreement offers a great opportunity to expand our commercial business in Europe and to solidify our position as a leading provider of nucleic acid extraction and purification technologies."

Purigen Biosystems is redefining nucleic acid sample preparation with an innovative platform based on the highly efficient isotachophoresis technology invented by company cofounder Juan Santiago, PhD and his team at Stanford University. Purigen's automated benchtop instrument and accompanying microfluidic chip purify nucleic acid samples from a wide variety of sources, including minute or otherwise challenging cancer samples. The purified nucleic acids are then immediately compatible with a wide range of downstream detection methods.

The privately owned company was founded in 2012. Purigen is affiliated with StartX Med, a Stanford-University-funded nonprofit technology accelerator, and the California Life Sciences Institute's FAST Advisory Program. Its headquarters is located in Hacienda, where it became a tenant in October 2016.

For more information about Purigen Biosystems, Inc., please visit www.purigenbio.com.