NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Qiagen said today it has licensed technology from BioHelix that is used to detect and analyze target molecules.
Under the non-exclusive, worldwide agreement, Qiagen will license and supply BioHelix’s Helicase Dependent Amplification technology, which is used to detect and analyze biological target molecules such as DNA and RNA.
Unlike PCR amplification, HDA functions at a constant temperature, which Qiagen said eliminates the need for some expensive hardware. It also is compatible with qualitative and quantitative fluorescent detection technologies and with instrumentation that is designed for use with real-time PCR.
In addition, Qiagen said the HDA technology is compatible with its Hybrid Capture detection platforms, which includes an instrument used in the company’s tests for human papillomavirus, chlamydia trachomatis, and neisseria gonorrhoeae.
The HAD technology also could be used in development of simple and portable DNA point-of-care diagnostic devices, Qiagen said.
“The ability to amplify DNA or RNA using an isothermal amplification system opens up a wide field of new assays in many areas, in particular in human molecular diagnostics and applied testing,” Jim Godsey, senior VP of R&D in North America for Qiagen, said in a statement.
Financial terms of the agreement were not released.