The collaboration has produced a custom nucleic acid extraction workflow designed to unlock molecular insights from a novel biospecimen and improve diagnostic utility in gut health conditions.

Primerdesign, part of the Novacyt Group, and Origin Sciences have announced a strategic partnership to develop an optimized deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction workflow for rectal mucosal samples—a novel biospecimen increasingly recognized for its potential in the earlier detection and diagnosis of colorectal cancer and other gastrointestinal (GI) diseases.

The collaboration combines Origin Sciences’ OriCol sample collection device with Primerdesign’s exsig Mag nucleic acid extraction platform to produce a workflow that, according to the companies, delivers consistent performance and high DNA yields from rectal mucus—outperforming all commercially available alternatives assessed, according to a release.

A Novel Biospecimen for Gut Health Diagnostics

Traditional sampling methodologies for investigating GI diseases have largely relied on stool or blood. Rectal mucus, by contrast, contains cells and molecular signals shed from the lining of the entire colon, making it a diverse and consistent biospecimen well-suited for detecting early-stage GI disease as well as monitoring residual disease, guiding treatment selection, and supporting recurrence surveillance.

Origin Sciences’ patented OriCol device enables reliable, rapid, and minimally invasive collection of rectal mucus, addressing what the company describes as an urgent need for accurate, affordable in vitro diagnostics for colorectal cancers and advanced adenomas. The diagnostic utility of such applications, however, hinges directly on the quality and efficiency of genetic material recovered from the sample.

“By unlocking the diagnostic potential of rectal mucus, Origin is helping to transform early detection, disease management, and patient outcomes worldwide,” says Jo Mason, PhD, chief scientific officer of Novacyt, in a release. “The performance of these testing applications hinges on the efficacy of the genetic material recovery. Our team is proud to have an outstanding reputation in custom assay development and nucleic acid extraction. Working in collaboration with Origin has resulted in a highly efficient custom DNA extraction workflow that will help to expedite the screening and diagnosis of colorectal cancer and other GI diseases.”

Workflow Development and Performance

The jointly developed protocol leverages Primerdesign’s capabilities in custom assay development and its exsig Mag extraction range to produce a reproducible, scalable workflow optimized specifically for rectal mucus—a sample type historically considered challenging for nucleic acid extraction. The resulting workflow demonstrated consistent performance and high DNA yields across rectal mucus samples, according to the companies.

“We are pleased to partner with Primerdesign’s expertise in high-quality custom DNA extraction from rectal mucus samples to deliver a scalable, bespoke nucleic acid extraction system that outperforms all commercially available alternatives assessed,” says Daniel Wise, PhD, chief scientific officer of Origin Sciences, in a release. “Extracting high-quality DNA data from our samples will allow us to detect GI diseases at its earlier stages so we can save lives, save time, and save money.”

A whitepaper titled A Novel Extraction Methodology for a Novel Biospecimen is available for download and provides additional technical detail on the rectal mucosal extraction workflow.

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