NEW YORK, June 25-Bio-Rad has granted Nanogen a license to two mutations associated with hereditary hemochromatosis for use with the company's NanoChip microarray system, the two companies said today.
The license is worldwide and nonexclusive. The companies did not disclose financial details of the agreement.
By the end of the year, Nanogen plans to introduce a three-SNP test for the simultaneous detection of the three most common mutations associated with this disease.
Hereditary hemochromatosis, or iron overload disease, is the most common inherited single-gene disorder among people of northern European descent. In the disease, increased intestinal iron absorption can ultimately lead to diabetes, liver cirrhosis, cardiomyopathy, impotence, and ultimately death.
About one in 10 white people carries one of the HH mutations, and approximately one in 250 to 300 is homozygous for the mutation, but the disorder is rarely diagnosed. Early diagnosis and regular treatment, including phlebotomy, can provide patients with a normal life expectancy.
Bio-Rad is a multinational lab supply and diagnostics company based in Hercules, Calif.
Nanogen, based in San Diego, Calif., is developing its gene chip system for use in clinical diagnostics.