Nanogen, Inc. (Nasdaq: NGEN),
developer of molecular and rapid diagnostic products, announced today that it
has signed a licensing and supply agreement with Scandinavian Gene Synthesis
(SGS) for use of the Company's proprietary MGB Probe technology and synthetic
nucleic acid chemistries including dyes and quenchers for use in human in vitro
diagnostic testing. Under the licensing agreement, SGS will have rights to use
their cGMP manufacturing capabilities to make and sell molecular diagnostic
products incorporating the Nanogen molecular technology. Terms of the agreement
include an upfront license fee and the commitment for Nanogen to supply component
products for use by SGS in the design and manufacture of custom DNA oligonucleotides
for the molecular IVD industry.
“The market for molecular diagnostics is growing at more than 20% per
year,” said David Ludvigson, Nanogen’s President and Chief Operating
Officer. “With more than 40 molecular diagnostic reagent and kit products
in our portfolio and many additional licensees, it’s clear our proprietary
nucleic acid chemistries have proven to be reliable building blocks for molecular
biology applications. We believe that making our MGB technology widely available
as the components of choice for PCR based diagnostics will help to grow the
market; and enabling quality cGMP manufacturers like SGS to supply the market
is part of our business strategy.”