NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Horizon Diagnostics and Riken Genesis today announced a deal for Riken to be the sole distributor of HDx's molecular reference standards in Japan.
The lack of reliable and renewable sources of reference standards, essential for molecular laboratories, has been a "major obstacle" and even with the availability of patient samples, variability in DNA extraction and a lack of standardization can result in errors, the companies said.
Cambridge UK-based Horizon HDx, a division of Horizon Discovery, has developed genetically defined and validated reference materials, "providing an industry standard for the development of and quality control of molecular assays," they added. Included are formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded cell line blocks, and purified gDNA, as well as its quantitative multiplex DNA reference standard launched earlier this year for evaluating multiple biomarkers in a single assay using platforms, such as next-generation sequencing.
"Part of our mission at Riken Genesis is to contribute to translating the results of genetic research into clinical settings," Yusuke Tsukahara, President and CEO of Riken, said in a statement. "Horizon’s molecular reference standards are a valuable step in the move towards practical implementation of personalized medicine."
Financial and other terms were not disclosed.
Kanagawa, Japan-based Riken was founded in 2007 as a Riken Research Institute venture company to "take over technologies" developed by the institute.
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