07-Statement of Need Twist.docx

This is a Statement of Need document submitted by the Mitochondrial Toxicology and Biology Group within the Mechanistic Toxicology Branch at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), specifically the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). The organization is requesting acquisition of Twist Biosciences Methylation Custom Probes, or a current-generation equivalent product, to support ongoing and expanding research initiatives focused on epigenetics, mitochondrial biology, and metabolism studies.

The custom probes enable highly targeted interrogation of DNA methylation patterns in specific regions of interest, offering flexible panel design and efficient target enrichment capabilities for sensitive and reproducible sequencing of methylation markers across diverse sample types. A critical gap the acquisition addresses is the development of custom probes for rat genome methylation analysis, as commercially available solutions for this application are limited or unavailable. The NIEHS currently lacks the equipment and in-house capacity to feasibly study the rat epigenome, making this external acquisition necessary. The requested product will provide a scalable and cost-effective method for DNA methylation profiling, supporting epigenetic research, translational studies, and biomarker discovery in rat models at lower cost and greater efficiency than conducting equivalent sequencing work in-house.