MicroGEM US

Originally established as ZyGEM in New Zealand, the company is now registered in the United Kingdom as a public limited company with additional operations in China and the United States.

Now known as MicroGEM, our scientists and engineers are experts in enzymatic discovery and reagent development. Our executive officers and directors have deep industry and academic credentials, representing many decades of experience in the life sciences.

We work closely with Dr. James Landers in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Virginia who brings expertise in analytical microfluidic systems and next-generation molecular diagnostics. We also collaborate with Dr. Jo-Ann Stanton at the University of Otago in New Zealand who brings expertise in handheld molecular diagnostic devices and systems for in-field and point-of-care applications.

Forensic & Life Sciences
Bacteria
Plant
Cell Culture
Sperm
RNA
Blood
Tissue
Saliva

The heart of our company is our culture collection, a proprietary library of thousands of extremophile organisms discovered in Antarctica. The discovery of a unique, thermostable proteinase produced by one of these extremophiles led to our radical approach to enzymatic DNA and RNA extractions.

These extremophiles have inspired us to think differently about sample preparation and extracting nucleic acids. And they’re the basis of our temperature-controlled approach to nucleic acid extraction.

We believe sample preparation and extractions should be easier, safer and faster.
We believe detergents and denaturants should not be required.
We believe workflows should be done in minutes, not hours.

Our name is our commitment – Microfluidics, Genes, Enzymes, and Microbials – to push the frontiers of sample preparation and nucleic acid extraction capabilities.

The result?
High yields. High sample integrity. Highly effective sample preparation.
Nearly effortless extractions.

Our reagent kits are used in genomics, molecular biology, human ID, plant and agriculture, and biopharma. Our temperature-controlled enzymatic extraction process is perfectly compatible with STR, PCR, qPCR and Whole Genome Sequencing without purification steps.
Single cells? Small volumes? High throughput?

No problem. Our temperature-controlled extractions don’t use harsh detergents and denaturants so yields are preserved. A single tube and fewer processing steps result in fewer errors, less risk and reduced contamination. And the whole process is easily automated on your existing laboratory equipment.
MicroGEM’s PDQeX Nucleic Acid Extractor
Have a challenging sample?

Our PDQeX Nucleic Acid Extractor simplifies hands-free lysis and purification. Our simplified workflow in a single closed-tube system handles tough samples.
Looking for easy sample prep and DNA extraction?

The PDQeX approach is the perfect solution for labs looking for fast, hands-free sample preparation – just load the instrument, choose your program, and press ‘Start’ for high-quality DNA in minutes.