Mawi DNA Technologies Launches iSWAB-Microbiome Sample Collection System

HAYWARD, CA – January 11, 2017 – Mawi DNA Technologies, a biotechnology company focusing on development of innovative technologies for biosampling, announces the launch of iSWAB-Microbiome (ISWAB-MB) designed to collect and stabilize microbial content and diversity within collected gut, rectal, vaginal, skin, oral or soil samples from collection to processing.

“iSWAB-MB significantly improves on current sampling and transport methods such as freezing or organic solvents. These collection methods can be challenging to use in the field and often result in alterations to the microbiome from time of collection to processing,” said Dr. Bassam El-Fahmawi, President and CTO of Mawi DNA Technologies. He added that offering an accurate snapshot of the microbiome representation at the exact time of collection is critical for a more precise understanding of the relationship between microbiome diversity and human or animal health.

The ISWAB-MB was developed to overcome issues that can affect microbiome research by:

• Producing an accurate representation of the microbiota composition without loss of any taxa from the point of collection to processing, simplifying bioinformatic analysis by substantially reducing post-collection bias. Samples can be transported and maintained at room temperature up to four weeks (stability testing ongoing);
• Providing the ability to analyze the microbiome with minimal host gDNA contamination; and
• Enabling analysis of the microbiome’s DNA and RNA from the same sample, providing more comprehensive knowledge of the microbiome and allowing better correlations for medical research.

“This product would be an ideal match for a project like the National Microbiome Initiative launched in May 2016,” said Jerome David, Vice President at Mawi DNA Technologies. “Our goal is to aggressively pursue these opportunities in 2017 and beyond.”

Samples of the iSWAB-MB product can be requested at www.mawidna.com