Rheonix,
Inc., a developer of fully automated molecular testing solutions,
and Life
Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ: LIFE), a global leader in the life
sciences tools and diagnostic markets, have entered into a joint
development agreement to introduce a molecular testing platform for
their Applied Markets business.
Technology developed by Rheonix for the molecular diagnostics market,
including the Rheonix CARD®, a disposable cartridge the size
of a credit card that can run multiple samples simultaneously without
user intervention, will be supplied by Rheonix to Life Technologies for
marketing, sales and distribution. The partnership will significantly
shorten the time necessary for Rheonix to enter the clinical market with
its sample-to-result molecular diagnostic instrument.
The instrument and consumable cartridges are components of a molecular
detection system specifically designed for the food testing market that
will enable laboratories to detect disease-causing organisms, including
serotype identification, in a fully automated and highly efficient
manner. The new platform is targeted for initial introduction in 2014.
“We are excited to work with the Applied Markets group based on their
history as an innovative, high-growth unit within Life Technologies,”
said Tony Eisenhut, president of Rheonix. “This partnership will bring
us closer to our goal of ensuring a safer food supply both domestically
and around the globe.”
The companies entered into the joint development agreement after a
robust search and evaluation process by Life Technologies. Life
Technologies selected Rheonix to streamline laboratory workflow and
provide greater breadth of information per sample and offer a low cost
of acquisition and operation.
For the clinical market, the walk-away Rheonix platform is fully
automated and addresses the most difficult challenges facing the health
care industry today, including workforce shortages, limited access to
advanced molecular testing and escalating costs. Once a raw sample is
placed on the Rheonix CARD, the automated platform runs with no user
intervention through the process of sample extraction, DNA purification,
amplification and detection. This eliminates the need for multiple
pieces of existing equipment, helping make the testing process quicker,
more efficient, less expensive and less likely to result in human error.
“This partnership is a great example of combining the consumable
innovation of Rheonix with the molecular testing menu and hardware
expertise of Life Technologies,” said Eisenhut. “The fact that Life
Technologies chose Rheonix validates the work we have done over the past
decade to bring a molecular diagnostic platform forward that will help
the industry address some of the major challenges in health care.”
About Rheonix:
Rheonix Inc. is committed to improving standards of care by making
molecular diagnostics available to more people, in more places, more
often. Rheonix, through experienced leadership and creative vision, has
developed the EncompassMDx™ platform, a highly customizable technology
with unmatched versatility and affordability. The platform performs
fully automated, complex molecular assays in an easy-to-use and
economical format on the Rheonix CARD® cartridge. With both
the Rheonix CARD and EncompassMDx family of products, Rheonix is
well-positioned to penetrate key molecular diagnostic market sectors,
from reference labs through point of care and everywhere in between. For
more information, visit www.rheonix.com.
Copyright Business Wire 2013