WATCHMAKER GENOMICS
Watchmaker’s unique combination of deep domain expertise in computational biology, protein engineering and large-scale enzyme manufacturing enables powerful iterative design for the precision tools needed to close the gap between sample input and information output.

PRODUCT PORTFOLIOS
Watchmaker Genomics covers 4 key ranges of high-performance next-generation sequencing products for inherited disease research and somatic oncology research.
- Equinox Library Amplification Kits
- Watchmaker DNA Library Prep Kits with Fragmentation
- RNA Library Prep Kits
- Stellarscript Reverse Transcriptases
FEATURED PRODUCTS
Equinox Library Amplification Kits
Equinox Library Amplification Kits are designed for high-efficiency, high-fidelity amplification of next-generation sequencing (NGS) libraries.
- The ready-to-use mix contains an optimized PCR buffer and hot start enzyme formulation that enables library amplification with minimal bias and error across a broad range of input amounts (0.1 pg to 500 ng).
- GC contents and performance is maintained in the presence of a variety of paramagnetic beads.
- The hot start functionality inhibits 5′ g 3′ polymerase and 3′ g 5′ exonuclease activities, ensuring robust performance when amplification reactions are set up at room temperature.
Three different Equinox Library Amplification Kits are available, each provided with or without amplification primers:
- Equinox Library Amplification Kit is provided at a 2X concentration, for standard library amplification reactions.
- Equinox High Concentration (HC) Library Amplification Kit is provided at 4X concentration, for library amplification reactions
requiring a higher concentration of the master mix. - Equinox Uracil Tolerant Library Amplification Kit for amplification of uracil-containing templates or primers.
The Equinox Library Amplification Kit and Equinox High Concentration (HC) Library Kit are ideally suited for:
• Efficient library amplification from a wide range of template amounts (0.1 pg – 500 ng) up to 1 kb in length
• Low-frequency variant detection NGS assays, including those utilizing challenging samples such as FFPE and cfDNA
• Hybridization capture workflows
• Single-cell analysis
• Whole genome sequencing (WGS)
• Amplicon sequencing
• Indexing PCR
• RNA-Seq
• ChIP-Seq, ATAC-Seq, and associated epigenetic applications
• Illumina and non-Illumina sample preparation workflows
Equinox Uracil Tolerant Library Amplification Kit is
ideally suited for:
- Amplification of bisulphite-converted DNA
- Amplification of damaged DNA samples or templates containing modified bases
- Prevention of amplicon contamination with UDG
*All products listed on this site and sold through LAB-A-PORTER Limited are for research use only (RUO). Not for human use. Not for therapeutic or diagnostic use.
Watchmaker DNA Library Prep Kits
The Watchmaker DNA Library Prep Kit with Fragmentation is designed for the highly efficient conversion of DNA, from both high- and low-quality samples, into Illumina®-compatible sequencing-ready libraries.
- The chemistry and streamlined, single-tube protocol have been optimized to produce libraries from 1 ng – 500 ng DNA while minimizing bias and artifacts.
- The integrated enzymatic fragmentation, end-repair and A-tailing module produces fragmented, A-tailed DNA in a single reaction with a high degree of consistency.
- The ligation module adds full-length or truncated Illumina adapters (not included) to DNA fragments with industry-leading efficiency and without the need for a prior cleanup step.
- The kit supports PCR-free workflows for input DNA of sufficient mass and quality.
For workflows where library amplification is desirable or required, the kit includes the Equinox Amplification Master Mix (2X). This ready-to-use mix contains an optimized PCR buffer and hot start enzyme formulation that enables library amplification with high fidelity and efficiency across a broad range of GC content and in the presence of a variety of paramagnetic beads. The hot start functionality inhibits both the polymerase and exonuclease activities of the enzyme, ensuring no loss of performance when amplification reactions are set up at room temperature.
This workflow was developed to address unmet performance needs in next-generation sequencing (NGS) applications such as rare variant detection, single-cell analysis, and hybrid capture. These applications require high conversion efficiency, high library complexity, low bias, uniform coverage, and minimal experimental artifacts in order to support robust sensitivity and specificity. This library preparation kit is ideally suited for:
- High-quality genomic DNA, DNA extracted from FFPE tissue, plasmid DNA and long PCR products
- A broad range of DNA inputs (1 ng – 500 ng)
- High- and low-complexity genomes, and genomes with extreme (15 – 85%) GC content
- Whole-genome sequencing (including PCR-free workflows)
- Targeted sequencing protocols employing hybridization capture
- Workflows that employ unique molecular identifiers (UMIs) for improved sensitivity
- Amplicon sequencing
*All products listed on this site and sold through LAB-A-PORTER Limited are for research use only (RUO). Not for human use. Not for therapeutic or diagnostic use.
Watchmaker RNA Library Prep Reagents
The Watchmaker RNA Library Prep Reagents is designed for the highly streamlined preparation of stranded RNA sequencing libraries from 0.25 ng to 100 ng total or previously enriched RNA with high library complexity and low coverage bias.
The workflow is compatible with both high- and low-quality samples, including FFPE material. The Watchmaker RNA Library Prep Reagents convert RNAs to adapter-ligated, double-stranded cDNA fragments through a small number of chemical and enzymatic manipulations:
- RNA fragmentation and priming for 1st strand cDNA synthesis
- 1st strand cDNA synthesis leveraging a specifically engineered reverse transcriptase
- Combined 2nd strand cDNA synthesis and A-tailing, during which dUTP is incorporated to maintain strand information
- Adapter ligation, where truncated, full length, or custom adapters utilizing a 3′ T overhang are ligated to fragments
- Library amplification with Equinox™ Amplification Master Mix (2X) for high-fidelity and high-efficiency PCR
This workflow was developed to address the highly specific needs of RNA sequencing and the associated areas of variant calling, isoform and gene fusion identification, and gene expression analysis. These applications require high library complexity, low bias, uniform coverage, and minimal experimental variability in order to support robust sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility.
The Watchmaker RNA Library Prep Reagents are ideally suited for:
- Targeted sequencing protocols employing hybridization capture
- Whole transcriptome sequencing, where both proteincoding on noncoding transcripts are interrogated, from both high-quality and degraded samples
- mRNA sequencing, when using previously enriched poly(A)-tailed RNA
- Gene expression analysis
- Isoform/splice variant/gene fusion identification
- Single nucleotide variant detection
- Novel transcript discovery
- Workflows that employ unique molecular identifiers (UMIs) for improved sensitivity
*All products listed on this site and sold through LAB-A-PORTER Limited are for research use only (RUO). Not for human use. Not for therapeutic or diagnostic use.
Watchmaker RNA Library Prep Kit with Polaris™ Depletion
The Watchmaker RNA Library Prep Kit with Polaris Depletion enables the highly streamlined preparation of stranded, whole transcriptome sequencing (WTS) libraries from 1 ng to 1 µg total RNA with high library complexity and low coverage bias.
The workflow is compatible with human, mouse, and rat species and both high- and low-quality samples, including FFPE material.
To improve the detection of RNAs of interest, the Polaris Depletion Kit – rRNA/Globin (HMR) specifically targets and efficiently depletes:
- 28S, 18S, 5.8S, and 5S cytoplasmic rRNAs
- 16S and 12S mitochondrial rRNAs
- 45S ETS and ITS rRNAs (probes designed for human only)
- HBA1/2, HBB, HBD, HBM, HBG1/2, HBE1, HBQ1, and HBZ globin RNAs (probes designed for human only)
The Watchmaker RNA Library Prep Kit converts enriched RNAs to adapter-ligated, double-stranded cDNA fragments through a small number of chemical and enzymatic manipulations:
- RNA fragmentation and priming for 1st strand cDNA synthesis
- 1st strand cDNA synthesis leveraging a specifically engineered reverse transcriptase
- Combined 2nd strand cDNA synthesis and A-tailing, during which dUTP is incorporated to maintain strand information
- Adapter ligation, where truncated, full length, or custom adapters utilizing a 3′ T overhang are ligated to fragments
- Library amplification with Equinox™ Amplification Master Mix (2X) for high-fidelity and high-efficiency PCR
This workflow was developed to address the highly specific needs of Whole transcriptome sequencing and the associated areas of variant calling, isoform and gene fusion identification, and gene expression analysis. These applications require high library complexity, low bias, uniform coverage, and minimal experimental variability in order to support robust sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility.
The workflow is ideally suited for:
- Whole transcriptome sequencing, where both proteincoding and noncoding transcripts are interrogated, from both high-quality and degraded samples
- Gene expression analysis
- Isoform/splice variant/gene fusion identification
- Single nucleotide variant detection
*All products listed on this site and sold through LAB-A-PORTER Limited are for research use only (RUO). Not for human use. Not for therapeutic or diagnostic use.
StellarScript Reverse Transcriptase and StellarScript HT Reverse Transcriptase
StellarScript Reverse Transcriptase (RT) is a M-MLV RT variant with improved thermostability and reduced RNase H activity. This enzyme has optimal activity at 42°C, providing increased specificity, higher cDNA yields, and longer cDNA products than wild type M-MLV RT.
StellarScript HT Reverse Transcriptase (RT) is a M-MLV RT variant with improved thermostability and reduced RNase H activity. This enzyme has optimal activity at 50°C, providing increased specificity, higher cDNA yields, and longer cDNA products than wild type M-MLV RT. This enzyme has minimal template switching activity.
StellarScript Reverse Transcriptase and StellarScript HT Reverse Transcriptase work well in several applications including, but not limited to:
- First strand cDNA synthesis
- RT-qPCR/qRT-PCR
- RT-PCR
- Primer extension
- RACE
- RNA sequencing
- Single cell RNA sequencing
*All products listed on this site and sold through LAB-A-PORTER Limited are for research use only (RUO). Not for human use. Not for therapeutic or diagnostic use.
PRODUCTS AT A GLANCE
Equinox Library Amplification Kits
Equinox Library Amplification Kit
Equinox High Concentration (HC) Library Amplification Kit
Equinox Uracil Tolerant Library Amplification Kit
Watchmaker DNA Library Prep Kit with Fragmentation
Watchmaker DNA Library Pre Kit with Fragmentation
Watchmaker RNA Library Prep Kits
Watchmaker RNA Library Prep Reagents
Watchmarker RNA Library Prep Kits with Polaris Depletion
Polaris Depletion Kit – rRNA/Globin (HMR)
StellarScript Reverse Transcriptases
StellarScript Reverse Transcriptase Kit (200 U/µL)
*All products listed on this site and sold through LAB-A-PORTER Limited are for research use only (RUO). Not for human use. Not for therapeutic or diagnostic use.