Sir Richard Roberts, Chief Scientific Officer at NEB, commented on the announcement, “NEB has a 40-year history innovating in the field of molecular biology enzymes and related technologies. WarmStart RTx is an in silico-engineered thermostable reverse transcriptase, designed by our researchers for speed, sensitivity and inhibitor resistance in reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP), RT-PCR, and other applications where the detection of low-quantities of target RNA from complex sample matrices is critical”.
WarmStart RTx is reversibly inhibited at room temperature, and is activated when warmed above 40 degrees C, enabling researchers to set up their reactions at room temperature with no background reverse transcriptase activity. Maximum activity is reached at 55 degrees C, enabling high-temperature cDNA synthesis. This results in more consistent target detection across different RNA targets. WarmStart RTx Reverse Transcriptase builds upon NEB’s portfolio of enzymes for nucleic acid detection, including Hot StartTaq DNA Polymerase, Q5® Hot Start High Fidelity DNA Polymerase, Bst 2.0 WarmStart DNA Polymerase and Antarctic Thermolabile UDG.
“We are excited to introduce the first commercially-available reverse transcriptase with a reversible WarmStart functionality. Our novel approach enabled us to leapfrog the more incremental improvements that have previously been made to M-MuLV-based reverse transcriptases. We look forward to the inclusion of WarmStart RTx in detection platforms and RNA assays that can impact human health, environmental and veterinary applications,” continued Ted Davis, Director of Applications and Product Development at NEB.