SuperArray Bioscience Corporation Licenses PCR and Real-Time PCR Patents from Applied Biosciences Corporation

FREDERICK, Md., June 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- SuperArray Bioscience Corporation announced today that it has entered into a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) license agreement with Applied Biosystems, an Applera Corporation business. Under the agreement, SuperArray Bioscience Corporation will develop, manufacture and distribute worldwide new Real-Time PCR and PCR-related reagents.

The agreement enables SuperArray Bioscience Corporation to offer optimized reagents and kits for PCR and Real-Time PCR that utilize SYBR Green and probe- based methods. The agreement also allows SuperArray Bioscience Corporation to develop Real-Time PCR reagent products and technologies and to pass on rights to end-user customers in the research field for the performance of Real-Time PCR.

PCR is a key technology in life science research and in other application fields, such as human in vitro diagnostics and clinical laboratory testing services. A small piece of DNA or RNA is copied or "amplified" so that it can be more readily analyzed. Real-Time PCR enables the detection of amplified DNA during the process of amplification rather than at the end, providing not only the advantage of speed and process control, but also greater accuracy in applications such as gene expression quantification and genotyping.

"We are excited to create Real-time PCR-based pathway and gene analysis assays using the technologies from Applied Biosystems," said Dr Li Shen, President of SuperArray Bioscience Inc. "The combination of highest quality qRT-PCR assays and complete coverage of every gene in human, rat and mouse genome at SuperArray will help biomedical researchers unveil important biomolecular networks of genes. The unique capability of SuperArray to examine pathways in an integrated approach will greatly expand the application of real-time PCR in drug discovery and biomedical research." The foundational patents covering the PCR process expired in the U.S. in March of 2005 and Europe in March 2006, but several other patents related to PCR remain in force. These surviving patents that have been licensed to SuperArray Bioscience Corporation on a non-exclusive basis cover, for example, enzyme compositions and certain Real-Time PCR methods and kits.

About SuperArray Bioscience Corporation

SuperArray Bioscience Corporation, a privately held biotechnology company founded in 1998, envisions a new and systematic approach to biological research in the post-genomic era. We have developed a broad portfolio of innovative and cost-effective research tools based on current knowledge and understanding of important biological pathways that merge the benefits of hypothesis-driven and discovery-based research. Our goal is to provide practical research tools that accelerate, simplify and improve life science research.

SuperArray Bioscience Corporation

CONTACT: Jeff (Tak) Hung of SuperArray Bioscience Corporation,+1-888-503-3187

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