Codexis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDXS), a leading protein engineering company, announces a license agreement to provide Roche with Codexis' EvoT4™DNA ligase high-performance molecular diagnostic enzyme. This enzyme was developed using Codexis' proprietary CodeEvolver® protein engineering platform and is expected to be incorporated into Roche's next generation sequencing (NGS) library preparation kits and other sequencing products. The royalty bearing license grants Roche worldwide rights to include the EvoT4™DNA ligase in its nucleic acid sequencing products and workflows.

Library preparation is a critical first step in the NGS workflow and involves modifying nucleic acid samples using a coordinated series of enzymatic reactions to produce libraries of DNA fragments for high-throughput sequencing. The EvoT4™ DNA ligase was developed to improve the efficiency and speed of adapter ligation for challenging and low-input DNA samples, thereby improving NGS sensitivity and accuracy - both important attributes for sequencing applications.