NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – One Cell Systems and Empire Genomics today said that they have inked a DNA probe development and distribution agreement.
Under the terms of the pact, Empire will develop locus-specific DNA probes for One Cell for slide-based fluorescent in situ hybridization applications. Empire also will have rights to co-market One Cell’s existing synthetic oligonucleotide probes for chromosome enumeration.
The firms expect to launch in January 2009 their first product from the collaboration, which they said will make it possible to enumerate 24 human chromosomes within 24 hours, “a critical requirement for the preimplantation genetic diagnosis segment of the IVF market.”
“This agreement allows One Cell to fill gaps in its product line for the oncology, PGD, and prenatal markets,” One Cell COO Ed O’Lear said in a statement. “With Empire’s BAC library we can quickly develop probes to detect chromosomal deletions, inversions, and translocations that are critical for the cancer’s progression.”
Financial terms of the collaboration were not disclosed.