Taconic Farms, Inc. Acquires Rights to Green Fluorescent Protein Technology From GE Healthcare

HUDSON, NY--(Marketwire - June 01, 2010) -

Taconic, a leading provider of life sciences solutions to researchers worldwide, announced that it has signed an agreement with GE Healthcare for rights to use Aequorea Victoria green fluorescent protein (AvGFP) in rodent models. The agreement grants Taconic a worldwide, non-exclusive license to use various patented AvGFP variants in the generation and commercialization of genetically modified rodent models.

“Genetically modified rodent models play an increasingly vital role in the biomedical research that is critical to developing treatments for human disease,” said Paul Rounding, Managing Director, Taconic. “Through the addition of innovative AvGFP technology, Taconic’s genetically modified models will become even more powerful tools to help investigators better understand disease mechanisms and develop the most effective drug therapies.”

Isolated from jellyfish, Aequorea Victoria green fluorescent protein (AvGFP) is intrinsically fluorescent enabling assays to be conducted without the need for exogenous substrates. Modified AvGFP variants contain patented, performance enhancing mutations which result in a brighter fluorescence at biological temperatures and offer a range of different colors. AvGFP is commonly used as a genetically encoded reporter allowing investigators to observe gene activity in specific cells or tissues. In combination with specifically applied genetic engineering technologies, AvGFP may be used to analyze the activity of selected target genes by tagging the proteins, which are connected with disease mechanisms in vivo. AvGFP technology also can help to assess and monitor the fate of certain cell types using imaging technology.

Under the agreement Taconic is granted the right to generate genetically modified rodent models using AvGFP technology and to distribute those models to investigators in pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions and other research facilities. Taconic may also distribute AvGFP mouse and rat lines generated by academic institutions on a worldwide basis.

About Taconic
Taconic is a leading provider of life sciences solutions to researchers worldwide, offering innovative lab animal models and scientific services that facilitate in vivo studies and advance drug discovery. Taconic’s wide range of advanced solutions include custom model design, generation and production, imaging, off-the-shelf model repositories, compound profiling, contract research, contract breeding, genetic monitoring and health testing. Headquartered in New York’s Hudson River Valley, Taconic operates seven breeding facilities and three service laboratories in the U.S. and Europe and maintains a staff of over 1,000 scientific specialists committed to technological innovation. Additional information about Taconic is available at www.taconic.com.