Gigabases FAQs - How can we Help?

Source our FAQs and learn how we're making biology creative

No matches were found… Try “payment, odering, DNA, plasmid etc.”.

Find All Your Answers in One Place: Your Ultimate Guide to Gigabases FAQs

Find all the answers you need to design, source and order the ideal protein with our user-friendly FAQs site, and take your research to the next level.

technology questions icon

Technology

We are a synthetic biology company located in Switzerland and we offer computer-optimized expression plasmids as products.

On our platform you can 3D design proteins and order plasmids using the latest silicon-based DNA synthesis technology.

We offer over 214 million different proteins cloned into expression plasmids for prices starting as low as 150$.

Gigabases technology is a protein design platform that allows the construction of custom expression plasmids for a wide range of applications in biotechnology and research.

The platform includes a user-friendly 3D protein design interface, allowing customers to intuitively modify and design proteins that can be easily expressed in cells.

Gigabases technology offers several benefits, including the ability to customize plasmid products with specific features, such as affinity purification or stable cell line generation.

In addition, the 3D protein design interface provides a high level of control and flexibility for protein expression in cells.

The platform also allows for the creation of custom amino acid substitutions, which can lead to the generation of constitutively active enzyme variants.

Gigabases utilizes advanced quality control measures to ensure the accuracy and reliability of its protein design and plasmid production processes.

All custom plasmids are rigorously tested to ensure that they meet customer specifications, and the company offers a satisfaction guarantee on all products.

Additionally, the company's team of experienced scientists is available to provide technical support and guidance throughout the order and design process.

Yes, Gigabases has the capability to synthesize DNA sequences up to several hundred kilobases in length, making it possible to synthesize whole genes, viral genomes, and even entire bacterial genomes.

Turnaround time and cost for synthesizing long sequences may be higher than for shorter sequences, and may require more customized project management.

database access icon

Database Access

The database provides access to more than 214 million proteins.

This represents the entire universe of known proteins that have evolved over the past 3.5 billion years on our planet.

Our protein search engine is designed to be intuitive and easy to use.

Simply search by keywords, organism, protein name, uniport ID and our algorithm will search our vast database of protein structures to find the best match for your needs.

Our protein search engine and 3D protein design platform are free to use.

You only pay for the plasmids and DNA synthesis services if you choose to order a product from us.

To find a protein form a particular organism, you can type the taxonomic name (e.g. Lagenorhynchus albirostris) or common name (e.g. Dolphin) in the search bar.

This will restrict your search to a particular organism group.

If you can not find your protein of interest and retrieve no results, you can try to query the search with fewer keywords.

If your search provides too many hits, try to narrow down your search results by adding additional keywords.

pricing and payment icon

Pricing and Payment

Gigabases currently accepts payment via credit card through its e-commerce platform.

Once your order is placed, you will be prompted to enter your payment information securely.

Yes, Gigabases offers discounts for purchasing multiple plasmids.

The exact discount amount will depend on the specific order and will be automatically applied at checkout.

Gigabases has a no-cancellation policy for plasmid orders once they have been synthesized and shipped.

Refunds may be available on a case-by-case basis for defective or damaged products.

Yes, Gigabases takes payment security seriously and uses industry-standard security measures to protect your payment information.

All credit card transactions are processed through a secure payment gateway, and no payment information is stored on Gigabases servers.

order processing, shipping and cancelation icon

Order and Shipping

We accept orders from commercial, educational, and government agencies and organizations.

If you are unsure if your organization qualifies, please contact our customer service team for further assistance.

No, private individuals must not order products from our website.

We accept orders from commercial, educational, and government agencies and organizations only.

You can place an order for the expression plasmid directly from our website.

Simply design your custom proteins, select your preferred expression plasmid. Then add the plasmid to your cart, and go to the checkout.

We will process your order as quickly as possible.

Plasmids are shipped in tubes as lyophilized DNA.

Products are shipped at ambient temperature and maintain stability for several days..

We ensure that the product arrives in good condition.

Standard shipping typically takes 3-5 business days.

Please note that some remote locations may experience longer shipping times.

Yes, once your order has shipped, you will receive a tracking number via email.

You can use this tracking number to check the status of your shipment and see when it is expected to arrive.

quality and accuracy of products icon

Quality

A star rating provides information on the fidelity of functional protein annotation.

Proteins with an annotation score above 4.5 are well-characterized according to the literature.

It is hidden by default, until the collapse plugin adds the appropriate classes that we use to style each element.

These classes control the overall appearance, as well as the showing and hiding via CSS transitions. You can modify any of this with custom CSS or overriding our default variables. It's also worth noting that just about any HTML can go within the .accordion-body, though the transition does limit overflow.

protein search and design icon

3D Protein Design

Yes, you can modify the protein structure by selecting a range of residues in the protein sequence panel and using the "Crop" button below the structure viewer to crop your protein of interest.

You can also insert amino acid substitutions by selecting a residue and using the "Mutate" button.

To interact with 3D protein structures, use mouse drag to rotate the protein structure and the mouse wheel to zoom into the structure.

Clicking on a residue in the 3D structure viewer or selecting an amino acid in the sequence panel will automatically focus the protein structure display on the selected target protein region.

Yes, you can crop the protein structure by selecting a range of residues in the protein sequence panel and using the "Crop" button below the structure viewer.

However, cropped proteins must be at least 65 amino acids in length.

To insert an amino acid substitution, select a residue in the protein sequence panel or 3D structure viewer, then click on the "Mutate" button below the structure viewer and specify the desired amino acid change.

Gigabases 3D protein design platform is based on the latest protein prediction models available from Alphafold.

Gigabases platform computes structural models for protein variants in real-time to aid in the precision engineering.

For rare cases, where no Alphafold predictions are available, we provide design capabilities based within the protein sequence panel.

Yes, Gigabases sources information on protein function, enzymatic activities and diseas links currated from the Uniprot repository.

protein search and design icon

Expression Plasmids

You can choose plasmids for mammalian and bacterial expression.

You can choose the plasmid type on the search results page and on the product item page.

Click on the "Change Plasmid" button in the navbar on the search result page, browse through the plasmids for mammalian and bacterial expression, select the preferred plasmid and save.

On the product item page select the navigation tab "Plasmid Info" on the product item page, then select the plasmid type and preferred DNA amount using the dropdown menu.

Select the navigation tab "Plasmid Info" to view the interactive plasmid map on the product item page.

We offer expression plasmids driven by the CMV promoter, human elongation factor alpha one promoter, or lentiviral expression.

Bacterial expression plasmids at Gigabases bear the T7 promoter and come with protein tags for affinity purification of recombinant proteins from E.coli cells.

dna policy icon

Controlled DNA Policy

A controlled DNA is a DNA sequence that matches with listed sequences of pathogens and toxins, namely those pathogens or toxins listed by different authorities as particularly dangerous and unambiguously linked to pathogenicity and toxicity.

When an order is placed at Gigabases, all plasmids in the order are checked for potential controlled DNA.

This process is performed individually by Gigabases or through the DNA synthesis provider's screening mechanism.

If a sequence matches pathogen DNA, the DNA synthesis provider decides whether to synthesize the sequence based on the broader context, including customer legitimacy. Legislation covering controlled DNA may exist for DNA synthesis services at local, national and international levels.

Gigabases assesses all flagged plasmids output and applies the following rules to decide whether an ordered plasmid must be cancelled

Any plasmid that is a pathogen or toxin DNA is cancelled.

Gigabases does not submit plasmid sequences to the DNA synthesis provider until the order has been placed, so any notification of a cancellation because a plasmid is flagged as a controlled DNA has to occur after order placement. Gigabases informs customers of any such cancellations with details of the reasons for the cancellation.

If some of the plasmids in an order are cancelled due to controlled DNA policy, the remaining plasmids will still be synthesized and shipped.

The customer will be notified of the cancellation and given the option to modify their order.