Codexis, Inc. announced it has entered into an agreement with Roche for an exclusive, global license for the Company?s newly engineered double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) ligase for next-generation sequencing (NGS) library preparation and the Company?s EvoT4 DNA ligase. Under the terms of the deal, Codexis will receive upfront and technical milestone payments. This deal supersedes the prior exclusive license on the EvoT4 DNA ligase.

Engineered using Codexis? proprietary CodeEvolver technology, this newly engineered dsDNA ligase improves the ligation efficiency of DNA fragments and adapters, without bias, during NGS library preparation. This is especially beneficial for NGS workflows requiring the highest sensitivity, even when the amount of starting material is constrained.

Compared to wild-type enzyme, the newly engineered dsDNA ligase is developed to higher ligation efficiency in shorter reaction times and higher library yields and complexity, with minimal substrate sequence bias.