PORTON DOWN, England, February 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Enigma Diagnostics, the life sciences company developing rapid molecular diagnostics systems, announces today that it has signed license agreements with Applera Corporation.
The licenses, signed 6 February 2008, include a Real-Time Instrument Patent License Agreement and an Application Kit License Agreement. These agreements provide Enigma with access under patents owned or controlled by Applera for real-time PCR thermal cyclers and real-time PCR methods and compositions in specific fields.
The Real-Time Instrument Patent License Agreement covers Enigma’s current and pipeline instrument platforms of fully automated, real-time thermal cyclers across the commercial market sectors of research and applied markets. This agreement also provides Enigma with an option for a license in clinical diagnostics.
The Application Kit License Agreement covers a portfolio of important patents covering reverse transcription-based methods, real-time PCR detection process and 5' Nuclease assays and compositions, for use in fields excluding human diagnostics.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
John McKinley, Chairman of Enigma Diagnostics, said: “These licenses together with Enigma’s extensive portfolio of molecular diagnostic patents and unique instrument platforms confirm Enigma’s leading position within the global molecular diagnostics market and underpin the launch of its instruments in 2008.”
Notes to Editors:
About Enigma Diagnostics
Enigma Diagnostics Limited is a private UK based company developing the next generation of rapid diagnostic instrument platforms for the detection and identification of infectious organisms, such as bacteria and viruses, in clinical, environmental and biological samples.
Enigma’s innovative and proprietary technology combines the speed and sensitivity of real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction) with the simplicity needed for field-based and point-of-care tests. The Company is targeting a number of multi-billion pound markets, core among which are the clinical, defence and homeland security, and veterinary markets. Enigma’s commercialisation strategy is to maximise revenues from a continuous flow of market leading rapid diagnostic point-of-care and in-field instrument and assay platforms, derived from its broad Intellectual Property portfolio of issued and filed patents. Enigma will build an in-house sales and marketing capability to direct distribution of its bespoke products and partner with market leaders where global penetration of markets is required.
Enigma has an exclusive license from the Defence Science Technology Laboratory to a portfolio of patents which represent over 15 years of UK Ministry of Defence funded research. Enigma’s own R&D activities have added additional patents and design rights based upon its proprietary technologies to generate a portfolio of over 45-plus worldwide patents and patent applications dedicated to real-time PCR and wider rapid technologies of which over 26 have granted status. The patents are granted in a range of core territories. Information about Enigma is available at http://www.enigmadiagnostics.com
CONTACT: Contacts: Enigma Diagnostics, Deborah Cordingley, Corporate
Communications, deborah.cordingley@enigmadiagnostics.com, +44-1980-590131
