Project Grant 20233353039281

**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** ADVANCEMENTS IN PLANT GENOMICS HAVE IMPROVED PLANT BREEDING EFFORTS, BUT GENOMIC SAMPLE PREPARATION FOR THE NEWEST SEQUENCING TECHNOLOGIES (LONG-READ SEQUENCING)REMAINS A KEY BOTTLENECK. PREPARATION OF PLANT GENOMES INTO HIGH-MOLECULAR WEIGHT (HMW)DNA IS MORE CHALLENGING THAN BOTH MAMMALIAN SAMPLE PREPARATION AND SHORT-READ SAMPLE PREP. PLANT CELLS HAVE CELL WALLS THAT ARE NOT EASILY DISSOLVED VIA CHEMICAL LYSIS, AND PLANT MATTER OFTEN CONTAINS HIGH LEVELS OF SECONDARY METABOLITES, SUCH AS STARCHOR POLYPHENOLS, WHICH INHIBIT SEQUENCING REACTIONS AND PREVENT ISOLATION OF LARGER DNA MOLECULES. LONG-READ SEQUENCING REQUIRES THE EXTRACTION AND PURIFICATION OF HMW DNA, A PROCESS STILL IN ITS INFANCY RELATIVE TO TRADITIONAL GENOMIC SAMPLE PREP WORKFLOWS, SUCH AS FOR STANDARD SHORTREAD/ILLUMINA SEQUENCING. THUS, USER FRUSTRATION IN SAMPLE PREP REMAINS A CRITICAL CONSTRAINT TO THE GROWTH OF AGRIGENOMICS APPLICATIONS.INSO'S TECHNOLOGY WILL IMPROVE THE EFFICIENCY OF CROP BREEDING EFFORTS BYU.S. AGRISCIENCE. FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ACCOUNT FOR NEARLY 20% OF THE U.S. ECONOMY,BUT AMERICA'S ROLE AS A GLOBAL LEADER IN AGRICULTURE IS THREATENED BY A STAGNATION IN PUBLIC R & D EXPENDITURES. NEW AGRIGENOMIC TOOLS COULD POWER CROP IMPROVEMENTS, BUT SAMPLE PREP CONTINUES TO CREATE A BOTTLENECK THAT PREVENTS SCALABILITY. OUR TECHNOLOGY IS POISED TO SOLVE THIS BY PROVIDING AN AUTOMATABLE SYSTEM FOR GENOMIC ANALYSIS WITH THE ABILITY TO HANDLE HIGH VOLUMES OF SAMPLES QUICKLY WHILE ACHIEVING REPRODUCIBLE, HIGH-QUALITY RESULTS. THIS WILL HAVE WIDE-REACHING IMPACTS, IMPROVING U.S. FOOD SECURITY AND THE HEALTH AND WELFARE OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC.