New England Biolabs announced the release of the EnClose Cell-free dbDNA Synthesis Kit, developed in collaboration with Touchlight. This novel kit enables the benchtop enzymatic synthesis of Touchlight's proprietary doggybone™ DNA (dbDNA), a linear, covalently closed, double-stranded DNA, providing researchers with a rapid, cell-free alternative to traditional plasmid DNA for the development of various nucleic acid therapeutics.

"Traditional plasmid DNA manufacturing is a significant bottleneck in advanced therapies development, often requiring large-scale fermentation, cell banking, and long lead times that can slow the path to the clinic," said Dr. Ashley Luck, Associate Director of Applications and Development at NEB. "We're thrilled to offer a cell-free alternative that allows researchers to bypass these complex bacterial processes. This kit enables the rapid screening and production of high-purity DNA templates right at the benchtop, cutting months off the development timeline for mRNA vaccines and gene therapies."

NEB built upon Touchlight's dbDNA technology by developing the EnClose Cell-free dbDNA Synthesis Kit, which offers a robust, optimized, and simplified enzymatic workflow, enabling scientists to generate high yields of closed-ended DNA in a single day. Unlike plasmid DNA, dbDNA is free of bacterial sequences and antibiotic resistance genes, minimizing safety concerns and simplifying regulatory compliance. The technology is linearly scalable from research to production, making it an ideal template for viral vector manufacturing — such as adeno-associated virus (AAV) and lentiviral (LV) vectors, non-viral gene therapy and a variety of nucleic acid therapeutics, including mRNA therapeutics and gene editing. Furthermore, the enzymatic process excels at synthesizing difficult sequences, such as long poly(A) tails and viral inverted terminal repeats, which are often unstable in bacterial cultures.

"Collaborating with NEB allows us to significantly broaden the accessibility of our technology, directly into the hands of researchers for the first time," said Dr. Tommy Duncan, Chief Business Officer at Touchlight. "By combining our proprietary dbDNA technology with NEB's expertise in enzymology, we've optimized a workflow that allows scientists to screen constructs and prototype high-throughput designs rapidly, before moving on to larger-scale manufacturing."

This dbDNA synthesis kit aligns with NEB's overarching commitment to support and streamline the development of RNA- and DNA- based therapies. By providing a direct entry into the nucleic acid therapeutic space with a scalable, cell-free template solution, NEB continues to expand its comprehensive portfolio of reagents and kits designed to support customers from discovery through to commercialization.