Frequently Asked Questions

What is TeselaGen?

TeselaGen is a computer-aided design, build and test platform for biological research and development. The key feature is an automatic protocol generator for molecular cloning and DNA library assembly, but the platform also provides a very general tool for organizing and executing complex molecular biology experiments.

Who developed the platform?

Our kernel of intellectual property is a DNA assembly protocol generator called “j5” developed at the Joint BioEnergy Institute in Emeryville, CA. From that seed, our San Francisco based team has built an impressive platform for molecular biology that one of our customers called “sexy”, which is an interesting appellation for an enterprise software product… but we take it as a compliment!

Who uses TeselaGen?

Although seeded at a National Lab and helped to grow by a Fortune 50 company, TeselaGen is useful for many types of folks within a research organization such as: 1. Scientists who run experiments and want to preserve their work automatically. 2. Automation groups that need auto-generated machine instructions. 3. Lab Managers who need a secure centralized place to keep valuable shared data. 4. Group Leaders and Principal Investigators who need to monitor progress and ensure that priceless data gets transferred seamlessly from one generation of students or investigators to the next. 5. Corporation executives that commission large-scale outsourced projects and wish to keep abreast of project milestone progress and completion, time and cost.

Is my data safe?

We use industry best practices to encrypt, backup and secure your data. More information about security can be found here.

Is it easy to share or download my data?

TeselaGen features google docs style sharing and archiving of DNA sequence, protocols, strain libraries, experimental designs and results. A single button makes it easy to import and export ALL your data in standard non-proprietary formats. We don’t hold your data hostage… it belongs to you.

What are some applications of TeselaGen's technology?

DNA assembly allows scientists to engineer cells to produce medications and chemicals, convert plant material into biofuel, and develop novel bio-based materials. Scientists pursuing these goals regularly seek to combine genes encoding a series of enzymes (biological catalysts) that perform the necessary reactions. This requires designing DNA parts – genes for multiple enzymes and shorter DNA sequences that regulate expression of those genes – to form DNA assemblies. The DNA assemblies are inserted into host cells, where they are expressed to produce the enzymes that carry out targeted reactions. While many of the steps involved in this type of genetic engineering have become easier with technological advances in the past several decades, the design of complex DNA assemblies and efficient testing for function remains particularly challenging. Nevertheless, assemblies of increasing complexity and variability are needed for research vital to human health and the health of the planet.
 

Why are combinatorial DNA libraries important?

It is common in the parlance of synthetic biology to speak in terms of forward engineering biological systems in much the same way that an electrical engineer might design and build an electronic circuit. However, biological systems are not as easily characterized or simulated as their electronic or mechanical counterparts, so real progress usually involves building and testing several variations of a genetic construct, and then performing functional tests in order to find the optimal DNA sequence that encodes the best performing biological system. For example, our customers, in efforts to produce plant variants that can better withstand drought, might wish to design a library with thousands of long constructs or “gene stacks”. Teselagen’s technology, when combined with dropping DNA synthesis costs makes this approach practical.