IDT can link your lab to collaborators online
online system for sharing genome sequence data and even share
shipping costs of orders.
The Iowa-based firm sells oligonucleotides for use as research tools and after consulting its clients, it has created this new web service, which it describes as 'no-obligation'. Customers can now "consolidate their orders, but also to share their sequence information, QC results and communicate the effectiveness of those sequences with one another," explained the firm's chief information officer, Aaron Warner. Of course, if small groups of users use the tool to arrange their orders together, not only can they avoid the fees associated with multiple packages, IDT will also save itself some cash thanks to reduced freight. The firm claims that increases to the price of oil have affected shipping prices but with LabLinker, a single package will often cost nothing to deliver. Scientists use the fact that oligonucleotides bind to specific strands of matching DNA to classify mixtures of genetic material. This can help them design diagnostic tests for genetic diseases such as breast cancer or cystic fibrosis or for infectious diseases, such as HIV. The same technique can also help them identify new drug targets and also produce safer and more plentiful agricultural products. IDT also offers custom RNA synthesis, which it claims has the highest coupling efficiency in the industry, thanks to improvements to the traditional tBDMS chemistry and advances in instrumentation. The area was bolstered with the acquisition in late 2006, of Belgium company RNA-TEC, especially in the area of Dicer-substrate RNAi (DsiRNA) field and focusing on large-scale DsiRNA for compounds for large screens and animal studies. Users can also easily personalise LabLinker, said IDT, in order to fit the needs of their respective labs or departments. It can also be set-up to automatically notify them of their order's status, ensuring that researchers are ready to use their oligionucleotides as soon as they receive them. This isn't the first online tool IDT has offered. As well as being able to design LNA, RNAi ddRNAi and antisense, others include primer selection tool PrimerQuest, an oligo analyser, and tools to calculate dilution volumes and how much volume is needed to resuspend a dry lyophilised oligo. Warner concluded: "LabLinker will deliver greater time and cost efficiencies, which are both of growing importance in modern scientific research."
