About OligoPool.com
Free, accurate tools for oligonucleotide design, built for researchers by a developer.
Mission
OligoPool.com provides free, scientifically accurate calculation tools for oligonucleotide design. All tools are based on published, peer-reviewed methods—no proprietary algorithms, no black boxes.
As an individual developer, I built this site to address a simple problem: commercial oligo design tools are often expensive, require subscriptions, or collect user data. Academic alternatives are frequently outdated or difficult to use. This project aims to fill that gap.
Core Principles
100% Free
No paywalls, no subscriptions, no "premium" features. All tools freely available forever. Minimal, non-intrusive advertising helps offset hosting and development costs.
Privacy First
All calculations run in your browser. Sequences never transmitted to any server. We use minimal analytics (Google Analytics) for website improvement only—no tracking of your research data. Verify via browser developer tools.
Scientifically Accurate
Methods based on published literature (SantaLucia 1998, Owczarzy 2008, etc.). Transparent algorithms, reproducible results. Scientific rigor over marketing claims.
Open & Transparent
Calculation methods documented. Source code available for review upon request. Found a bug? Report it. Have a suggestion? Contact me directly.
Technical Implementation
Built with modern web technologies: Next.js, React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS. Static site generation ensures fast loading and works offline after initial visit. All calculations implemented in client-side TypeScript—no backend required.
Hosted on Cloudflare Pages for global CDN distribution. We use Google Analytics for basic website usage statistics (anonymized, no personal data). All calculation code is client-side JavaScript—no backend processing of your sequences.
Editorial & Method Governance
Query ownership model
We separate the cluster by user job: the generic head term lives on /oligo-pools, synthesis planning lives on /guides/oligo-pool-synthesis, vendor short-listing lives on /oligo-pools/vendor-comparison, and benchmark evidence lives on /research.
Evidence-first updates
We try to keep vendor-sensitive or benchmark-sensitive pages tied to visible update dates, source notes, and linked evidence pages rather than silently changing copy without a way to verify it.
What we publish vs what we do not
OligoPool.com is a decision-support and tool site. It does not present itself as a synthesis vendor, a live quote engine, or a regulated lab service provider. Where claims need evidence, we point to References and Accuracy Validation.
How to verify a page
Check the page-level `Last updated` stamp, open the linked evidence layer, and compare the page intent against the right owner route. This reduces the chance that a FAQ, tools hub, or guide silently starts competing for the wrong query family.
Limitations & Transparency
This is a tool website, not a comprehensive software suite. Commercial products like Primer3, OligoAnalyzer, or Geneious offer more features. I don't claim to replace them.
Individual developer means limited resources. Updates may be infrequent. Bug fixes prioritized over new features. No customer support team—just me responding to emails.
Use at your own risk. While calculations are verified against literature, I cannot guarantee error-free operation. Always validate critical designs independently.
Future Development
Planned improvements (no timeline promises):
- Mobile app (offline-capable PWA)
- Bulk sequence library management
- Advanced visualization options
- Export to vendor order formats
Development driven by user feedback and my available time. Open to contributions if this becomes an open-source project in the future.