ATUM (formerly DNA2.0, Inc.) announced  that the company has signed a patent licensing agreement that gives Thermo Fisher Scientific access to the company’s novel gene design platform.
"Most people think visually, so seeing a graphic representation of a sequence is very helpful in the design process," said Alan Villalobos, ATUM’s Vice President of Synthetic Biology and an inventor of the method. "Gene Designer 2.0 represents sequence elements as icons, and features a drag and drop function that is crucial for avoiding errors that creep in during cut-and-paste operations, when one nucleotide missed can destroy the function of the entire construct. We are delighted that Thermo Fisher is incorporating these features into its Vector NTI Express Designer software."
Gene Designer 2.0 software, introduced by ATUM in 2005, captures the entire gene design process in one efficient application, using a range of design tools purposely built for the task:
• Intelligent algorithms for in silico cloning, codon optimization, back translation and primer design.
• Graphically rich molecular view to display, annotate and edit constructs.
• Customizable database to store, manage, and track genetic element, genes and constructs.
• Drag-and-drop interface for moving sequence elements within or between constructs.