NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Ubiquitome and AsureQuality have reached an agreement to try out mobile molecular testing in food safety and production.
Under the terms of the agreement announced today, AsureQuality will use Ubiquitome's hand-held, battery-powered Freedom4 real-time PCR device in its food quality assurance programs. Potential applications include animal disease control, pest management, and surveillance.
"We operate across a broad range of market sectors and we see a number of opportunities where the ability to deliver accurate, sensitive, and timely diagnostic information can add value to our customers," AsureQuality CEO John McKay said in a statement.
Ubiquitome CEO Paul Pickering added that the Freedom4, which was launched in September 2014, has applications in both food safety testing and pathogen identification.
Financial and other terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
New Zealand-based Ubiquitome is a spinout of the University of Otago. In December 2014, it announced plans to develop a mobile Ebola assay for the Freedom4.