Sponsors/TwistBioscience




Twist Bioscience and Desktop Genetics Call for CRISPR Project Proposals

CRISPR Design and DNA support available!

Application deadline: July 8, 2016

Twist Bioscience and Desktop Genetics have partnered together to offer CRISPR design and DNA synthesis support for iGEM teams and are calling for proposals.

How have you reimagined gene editing with CRISPR? We want to know!

Twist Bioscience and Desktop Genetics are calling for project proposals, and have teamed up for iGEM 2016 to provide precision gene editing tools through expert gRNA design, and highly uniform and accurate DNA synthesis.

5 select iGEM teams will receive training and access to the DESKGEN design platform, the leading CRISPR tool, providing access to all CRISPR nucleases, sgRNA lengths, dozens of organisms and all major sgRNA design parameters from academic software tools. Twist Bioscience will synthesize your guide designs and provide high quality, cloning-ready single guides and oligo pools for your experiments.

Why use single guides and oligo pools?

A pool of oligos can be used in a CRISPR library screen if the phenotype is known, but not the genes involved. Positive or negative selection can be used to identify clones with the desired phenotype and then sequenced to identify the genes involved. Teams that are seeking to edit specific loci can use single guides for targeted editing, and oligo pools can be used for large scale functional screening.

Teams will receive:

  • Training and technical support from experts in the field
  • gRNA design consultation with Desktop Genetics
  • DNA synthesis of up to 384 single guides
  • or DNA synthesis of a CRISPR oligo libraries (2-100K plex)

Project Proposal and Application


Teams seeking sponsorship from Twist Bioscience and Desktop Genetics may submit a proposal (2 page, 1000 word max) including:

  • 100 word abstract
  • Description of your gene editing project including your experimental intent and proposed methodologies
  • Applications and impact of the research

Please submit your proposal to customersupport@twistbioscience.com by July 8, 2016 (subject: iGEM project proposal)
5 Teams will be notified of their award by July 15 if selected.



Twist DNA formats for iGEM
Amplified (cloning ready) oligo pools
Amplified (cloning ready) single guides

Desktop Genetics Genomes Supported:
Anopheles gambiae (AgamP4)
Arabidopsis thaliana (TAIR10.28)
Caenorhabditis elegans (WBcel235.28)
Candida albicans (GCA_000182965.2.28)
Candida glabrata (GCA_000002545.2.28)
Danio rerio (GRCz10.81)
Drosophila melanogaster (PDGP6.28)
Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) (GCA_000022665.2.28)
Escherichia coli K-12 DH10B (GCA_000019425.1.28)
Escherichia coli K-12 MG1655 (GCA_000005845.2.28)
Homo sapiens (GRCh38.81)
Hordeum vulgare (082214v1.28)
Mus musculus (GRCm38.81)
Oryza sativa (IRGSP-1.0.28)
Penicillium roqueforti FM164 (PROQFM164_20130607.31)
Physcomitrella patens (ASM242v1.28)
Rattus norvegicus (Rnor_6.0.81)
Rhodococcus jostii RHA1 (ASM1456v1.31)
Saccharomyces cerevisiae (R64-1-1.80)
Schizosaccharomyces pombe (ASM294v2.28)
Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (ASM972v1.31)
Triticum aestivum (IWGSC1.0+popseq.28)
Zea mays (AGPv3.28)

CRISPR Resource
Genome Editing in Esoteric Genomes
Gene Selection