In this Science Advances study, researchers used Daicel Arbor Biosciences’ myBaits® and myReads® services to recover ancient Yersinia pestis genomes from Bronze Age Britain. Their work reveals the earliest known presence of plague in the British Isles, shedding light on the pathogen’s spread across prehistoric Europe.

Daicel Arbor Biosciences Featured in CNN Plague Evolution Story
Researchers studying the evolution of human immune genes linked to plague used myBaits® targeted capture technology to recover and analyze ancient and modern DNA. Our own Jennifer Klunk, Ph.D., contributed to this landmark study, which was recently highlighted by CNN.

In a Science publication, researchers used myBaits® targeted enrichment to recover ancient human DNA from sediment samples dating back over 45,000 years. This breakthrough work—“Sedimentary ancient DNA from Upper Paleolithic Europe reveals deep roots of modern Eurasians”—demonstrates how myBaits enables sensitive, high-resolution analysis even from highly degraded environmental samples.

A study published in Science Advances titled “Phylogenomics establishes an Early Miocene reconstruction of reef vertebrate diversity” utilized Daicel Arbor Biosciences’ myBaits® and myReads® technologies to investigate the evolutionary history of wrasses and parrotfishes. By employing genome-scale datasets, the research uncovered significant diversification events during the Early Miocene, approximately 20 to 15 million years ago, suggesting a major reassembly of reef vertebrate diversity. The integration of myBaits hybridization capture and myReads NGS services facilitated high-resolution genomic analyses, providing insights into the complex interplay of ecological opportunities following mass extinctions.​

Ancient DNA, modern tools.
In a groundbreaking study spanning 43,000 years of domesticated animal history, researchers used our myBaits RNA baits to recover mitochondrial and Y-chromosomal haplotypes from horses, goats, dogs, and more. From sediments to coprolites, these ancient samples reveal powerful insights into domestication and evolution.

This study revealed how human-HPV hybrid ecDNA enhancers drive tumor growth in HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer—and how they can be disrupted. Using Daicel Arbor’s HPV16 FISH probes, researchers visualized these structures and identified new therapeutic targets to suppress ecDNA-driven tumors.

Fiji’s iguanas took the ultimate ocean voyage — and genomics proves it.

This study in PNAS, revealed that Fijian iguanas rafted over 8,000 km across the Pacific from North America — the longest transoceanic dispersal ever recorded for a terrestrial vertebrate.

To uncover this wild journey, researchers used genome-wide exon and ultraconserved element (UCE) data, enriched with help from Daicel Arbor Biosciences.

Their findings not only trace the iguanas’ ancestry to the North American desert iguana, but also highlight how rare founder-event speciation has shaped biodiversity in one of the world’s most remote island chains.

Genomics clarified a conservation mystery.

A recent study used genome-wide markers to resolve the species status of the declining western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis) — finding strong support for splitting it into two distinct species: B. occidentalis and B. mckayi.

To get there, researchers enriched samples with a bee-ant-specific myBaits kits from Daicel Arbor Biosciences, enabling high-resolution phylogenomic analysis.

This work underscores the power of molecular tools in biodiversity research and pollinator conservation.

In this study, researchers sequenced 31 mitochondrial genomes of the extinct Arctodus simus, the giant short-faced bear of Ice Age North America. The findings revealed low genetic diversity, no distinct regional lineages, and that size differences were likely due to sexual dimorphism—not separate subspecies.

We’re proud our tools contributed to this deeper understanding of one of Pleistocene America’s most iconic megafauna.

A January 2025 study unveils a multiple-reference-based (MRB) approach to improve mapping of Treponema pallidum genomes, enhancing accuracy for ancient and low-coverage samples. Highlights include reconstruction of 77 genomes, a high-coverage 17th-century syphilis genome, and improved evolutionary insights. We’re proud to support tools advancing pathogen genomics.