ZyGEM Enters Into Agreement With Phthisis

ZyGEM and Phthisis Diagnostics have entered into an agreement to develop products enabling the detection of infectious pathogens in complex samples, such as stool, blood and water.

Reportedly, the collaboration is expected to harness ZyGEM’s advanced enzymatic nucleic acid extraction technology and Phthisis’ molecular diagnostic to provide solutions for obtaining high-quality DNA from infectious pathogens. The first target of the collaboration is extraction of pathogen DNA from stool, a particularly challenging sample.

ZyGEM’s technology uses a proprietary thermophilic enzyme to extract DNA from samples using a single closed-tube system. The company’s approach is said to reduce the time and cost of DNA extractions while simplifying laboratory workflow, minimising error, reducing the risk of contamination, ensuring sample integrity and facilitating extractions from trace samples.

Paul Kinnon, CEO of ZyGEM, said: The ability of ZyGEM’s temperature-controlled DNA extraction technology to work well with a wide range of sample types makes it suitable for use with challenging targets with high unmet need. We believe the accuracy, simplicity and ease-of-use of our technology make it an especially good fit with the product focus of Phthisis Diagnostics. This new agreement for specialised DNA extraction products is the most recent in a series of ZyGEM collaborations with diverse partners to ensure the availability of our versatile technology for a wide variety of DNA extraction needs, and we look forward to a mutually productive relationship.

The company, commenting on its technology, said that it is easily adaptable for use with virtually all off-the-shelf laboratory automation systems, and can be specifically formulated for use with a range of different sample types without the need for further purification. ZyGEM’s technology has been validated for use in research, forensic, diagnostic, agriculture and animal health applications.