The exclusively licensed rights include US patents and pending applications. The license provides Sequenom with the exclusive right to use digital PCR methods on any platform for noninvasive prenatal diagnostics and analysis for any sample (for example, fetal cells, amniocentesis fluids, plasma, urine, etc).
Sequenom has also secured the exclusive right to use digital PCR methods in conjunction with mass spectrometry for any commercial, diagnostic or research purpose, excluding second generation sequencing. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Harry Stylli, president and CEO of Sequenom, said: “These exclusive rights, as well as the licensing agreement we announced last week, further strengthen the proprietary foundation upon which we will continue product development and commercialization in our SEQureDx diagnostics business. Furthermore, Sequenom intends to develop a MassARRAY platform-based digital PCR solution for our genomic analysis business and for cancer research and diagnostics.”
Luke Ranasinghe, chief technical officer of Genomic Nanosystems, said: “Digital PCR and Genomic Nanosystems’s portfolio of digital amplification methods provide for detection and quantification of rare and foreign genetic sequences. We are pleased to license these patents to Sequenom whose capabilities and innovation provide opportunities for molecular genetic analysis in prenatal diagnostics, as well as cancer and infectious disease.”