LASSO for Standardized, High-Throughput RNA Workflows

Team Dynamic Matrices | 10 September 2026

Most RNA workflow reproducibility problems do not start at extraction, they start at the very next step: depletion or capture. Enzymatic rRNA digestion and magnetic-bead binding both introduce exactly the kind of lot-to-lot, operator-dependent variability described in Why RNA Workflow Solutions Fail Reproducibility. LASSO is built to take that variability out of the equation.

A defined chemistry instead of a variable one

riboLASSO uses DNA-crosslinked, sequence-specific catcher strands to remove rRNA, rather than the enzymatic digestion or magnetic-bead binding that most other depletion methods rely on. There is no RNase H or DNase digestion step and no magnetic rack. That gets you over 98% depletion efficiency and 7× fewer off-target outliers than bead-based or enzymatic methods, with a chemistry that behaves the same way from one manufactured batch to the next because it is defined by sequence, not by a biologically variable reagent.

Less manual handling, fewer chances to introduce variability

Every manual step in a protocol, a wash, a bead separation, a timed digestion, is a point where two operators, or the same operator on two different days, can introduce small differences that compound into run-to-run variability. riboLASSO's catcher strands come pre-configured: add your total RNA and run. Hands-on time is under 5 minutes per sample, and under 15 minutes for a full 24-sample run. Fewer manual steps means fewer opportunities for the workflow itself to be the source of inconsistency.

Built to adapt, not just to deplete

rRNA depletion is one application of the underlying LASSO capture platform. LASSOflex extends the same DNA-crosslinked capture chemistry to custom DNA, RNA, or protein targets, so a lab is not locked into a single fixed panel. riboLASSO itself is validated across sample types: human samples are validated today, human, mouse, and rat are underway, and pan-bacteria and globin (blood) depletion are planned. A workflow that has to be re-qualified every time a new sample type shows up is not standardized. One built to extend across sample types from the start is.

Where this fits in your pipeline

riboLASSO is shelf-stable for approximately one year at 4°C, so scheduling a run does not depend on cold-chain timing, and it costs less than half of other depletion kits, which matters when you are running it at volume rather than once. riboLASSO is currently in its pilot phase: we are working directly with early-access labs to validate it against their own pipelines and sample types.

None of this replaces the extraction step itself, LASSO works on RNA that is already isolated, but it removes one of the largest remaining sources of run-to-run variability in the steps that follow it.