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Genetic Technologies Sues Reproductive Genetics Institute

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Australian molecular diagnostics firm Genetic Technologies has filed a lawsuit against Chicago-based Reproductive Genetics Institute for alleged infringement of a patent covering its non-coding DNA technology.

The suit was filed this week in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division and alleges that RGI infringes US Patent No. 5,612,179, entitled, "Intron Sequence Analysis Method for Adjacent Locus Alleles as Haplotypes." Specifically, Genetic Technologies claims that RGI's screening services for cystic fibrosis infringe the patent.

The Australian firm has asked the court for a judgment that RGI is infringing the '179 patent, and it is seeking unspecified damages for that alleged infringement.

The '179 patent has been at the center of several suits that Genetic Technologies has filed against other firms including Applera, Beckman Coulter, Gen-Probe, Interleukin Genetics, Orchid Cellmark, Pioneer Hi-Bred and others. All of those parties have since taken a license to the '179 patent from Genetic Technologies, according to the suit filed this week.

The patent also is the center of a suit filed in May 2011 by Genetic Technologies against Agilent Technologies and nine other firms. Genetic Technologies settled that case with a few of the defendants — GeneSeek, Navigenics, Hologic, and Eurofins — earlier this year.

Genetic Technologies noted in the suit filed this week that it has secured more than $15 million in licensing revenue since filing its initial action against Beckman Coulter in 2010.