Zymo Research - Zymo-Seq RiboFree® Total RNA Library Kit

Universal rRNA depletion + simplest total RNA library prep.
One RNA Library Kit for ANY Organism.

Unlock total RNA-Seq across virtually any organism—without designing custom rRNA depletion probes. The Zymo-Seq RiboFree® Total RNA Library Kit combines universal, probe-free rRNA removal with a streamlined, automation-friendly workflow to generate stranded, sequencing-ready libraries in as little as ~4 hours. Ideal for microbial, plant, veterinary and non-model species projects—and robust even with challenging samples. Read more

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Major Pain Point - Strategy Overview

The rRNA Problem – and How RiboFree Solves It

Ribosomal RNA can make up the majority of total RNA, wasting sequencing reads and hiding the transcripts you actually care about. The Zymo-Seq RiboFree® Total RNA Library Kit solves this with RiboFree Universal Depletion—a probe-free, universal rRNA depletion technology fully integrated into the library prep workflow. The result is a streamlined, all-inclusive solution to generate stranded, rRNA-depleted total RNA libraries from virtually any organism, without the need for species-specific probe design.

Why many RNA-Seq workflows still struggle

Most RNA-Seq library prep solutions were not built with non-model organisms in mind:

HMR-focused designs – Many commercial kits are optimized only for human, mouse and rat (HMR).
Custom probes required for non-HMR – Other species often requires designing and validating custom probe sets.
High cost & complexity – Custom solutions are expensive, difficult to standardize and prone to batch-to-batch variation.
Labor-intensive protocols – Extra depletion modules and optimization cycles increase hands-on time.
New organism, new problem – Each additional species can mean starting over with a new probe design.

A Truly Universal Total RNA-Seq Solution

Researchers need an RNA-Seq kit that efficiently depletes rRNA and delivers robust, comparable data — regardless of the organism. Zymo-Seq RiboFree® Total RNA Library Kit was designed precisely to remove these hurdles and make total RNA-Seq truly universal, combining probe-free rRNA depletion with a single, consistent workflow for virtually any species.

Zymo-Seq RiboFree® Total RNA Library Kit

One Total RNA-Seq Kit for Any Organism

Removes rRNA efficiently across any organism
(plants, animals, microbes)

Works with total RNA from virtually any organism! Universal, probe-free rRNA depletion built directly into the library prep workflow, validated on mammalian, avian, plant, prokaryotes and microbial samples as well as mixed communities.

Enzymatic removal of the most abundant RNA → rRNA

Uses the input RNA as a template to enzymatically remove cDNA derived from highly abundant rRNA, freeing up sequencing capacity for mRNA and non-coding RNAs instead of “wasting” reads on rRNA.

Core Benefits at a Glance

Compatible with any organism

One consistent workflow for model and non-model species, complex microbiomes, FFPE samples and challenging matrices such as whole blood or tissue.

No custom probes needed

Eliminates the time, cost and risk of designing, ordering and validating organism-specific depletion probes or panels.

Enables Total RNA-Seq where it was previously challenging

Makes stranded Total RNA-Seq feasible in projects where HMR-focused kits fail or become impractical—such as diverse species panels, environmental samples and metatranscriptomics.

Designed for Speed, Simplicity and Lower Cost - Automation-friendly

Streamlined protocol

ntegrated rRNA depletion and library prep reduce protocol steps and complexity, delivering roughly 30–50% less hands-on time, less room for error and smoother transfer to automation.

All-inclusive

Includes key components such as premixed reagents, unique dual indexing primers and SPRI beads, making the workflow around 20–30% more cost-effective compared to assembling separate depletion modules, indexing kits and cleanup reagents from competitors.