The publication of ‘Reclone: a global research community building equitable access to reagents’ in Nature Methods, is a significant milestone for the Reclone initiative and the broader open biotechnology movement. The paper is co-authored by Reclone Global Co-Leads Dr Jenny Molloy (Biochemistry, University of Cambridge | ICGEB) and Dr Fernán Federici (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile), together with collaborators from several institutions. It documents Reclone’s model for democratising access to essential biological tools and reagents, and the evidence behind it.
Biological reagent production remains concentrated in a small number of countries, leading to high costs, long wait times, and logistical barriers for researchers in low- and middle-income countries. The paper describes how Reclone’s open, collaborative model, built on the exchange of DNA, protocols, knowledge, and local production capacity, directly addresses these barriers.
Since its founding in 2020, Reclone has grown to connect universities, research institutes, companies, and scientific communities across more than 40 countries. Key outcomes presented in the paper include an open collection of more than 580 DNA parts for research and protein production, regional distribution hubs across Latin America, Africa, and Asia, and the training of hundreds of students, educators, and researchers in molecular biology and biomanufacturing.
Dr Jenny Molloy said: ‘I’m especially excited to harness recent open-source tools for protein engineering and automation to collaborate on open “workhorse” reagents that are best in class and hyperstable for cold-chain free transport. True equity moves beyond increasing access to existing technology. We need to co-develop new tools with scientists in low- and middle-income countries, that truly meet their day-to-day research needs.’
Read the paper in Nature Methods and watch the video below.
Please allow social and marketing cookies to show embedded content.