FULLERTON, Calif. (July 30, 2008) - Agencourt Bioscience, a wholly owned subsidiary of Beckman Coulter, Inc., today announced that it has entered into a supply agreement with Madison, Wisconsin-based Third Wave Technologies, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Hologic, Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, the Agencourt Genfind DNA isolation system will be integrated into the Third Wave new human papillomavirus (HPV) tests, which have not yet been released. Third Wave recently announced that it has applied to the FDA for pre-market approval of two HPV tests and expects to market them in 2009. (See press release.)
In addition, the two companies are collaborating on the development of future applications. According to Third Wave, the global market for HPV testing is projected to be approximately $250 million in 2008, and the total available market is about $1 billion.
“With the growing use of HPV testing to screen for cervical cancer, the marketplace has been demanding improvements in diagnostic tests,” explains Kevin Conroy, president and CEO of Third Wave Technologies. “Agencourt’s nucleic acid preparation technology delivers the reliable high recovery of purified DNA required for both our Cervista HPV HR and Cervista HPV 16/18 tests. Agencourt Genfind is also easily automated allowing Third Wave to address the needs of our medium- to high-volume customers, a key part of the overall HPV strategy for our company.” Agencourt Genfind incorporates the patented SPRI® (Solid Phase Reversible Immobilization) paramagnetic bead-based nucleic acid purification technology, which eliminates the need for organic solvents, vacuum filtration, or centrifugation steps.
“We are pleased that Third Wave has chosen the Agencourt Genfind product for their nucleic acid purification method,” commented Lynn Doucette-Stamm, Ph.D., vice president of business development for Agencourt. “With more than 10 million HPV tests performed annually in the U.S. alone, this supply agreement further demonstrates our production capacity for nucleic acid purification product lines.”
Agencourt Bioscience Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Beckman Coulter, is a leading provider of nucleic acid purification products and genomic services for life science research.
Beckman Coulter, Inc., based in Orange County, California, develops, manufactures and markets products that simplify, automate and innovate complex biomedical tests. More than 200,000 Beckman Coulter systems operate in laboratories around the world, supplying critical information for improving patient health and reducing the cost of care. Recurring revenue, consisting of supplies, test kits, service and operating-type lease payments, represents approximately 78 percent of the company’s 2007 annual revenue of $2.76 billion. For more information, visit http://www.beckmancoulter.com.
