NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Becton Dickinson has bought the rights to negotiate with Accelr8 Technology to develop its BACcel rapid diagnostic platform, Accelr8 said Thursday.
BD will pay Accelr8 $100,000 for the right to an exclusive negotiation period lasting through March 31, 2008, during which the companies will consider a development and commercialization program for the system. Such an agreement could include licensing rights, an equity investment, a joint development, or other type of development program, said Accelr8.
“BD could bring many resources to bear and speed the path to market, helping to further consolidate their leadership in managing infectious diseases,” Accelr8 President David Howson said in a statement.
Accelr8 believes the system can be used to target hospital-acquired infections and antibiotic-resistant pathogens including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, and other strains of Klebsiella and E. coli.
The hospital-acquired infections testing market is a key target for BD, which acquired HAI molecular diagnostics developer GeneOhm Sciences nearly two years ago for $230 million.
Howson also noted that the BACcel complements BD’s automated culturing systems and gene analysis offerings.
In mid-afternoon trade on the American Stock Exchange, Accelr8’s shares were up 16 percent at $4.8050.