NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Smiths Detection and Novartis Diagnostics have signed a license and collaboration agreement to develop and commercialize Smiths Detection's Bio-Seeq PCR-based instrument and infectious disease diagnostic tests.
Smiths will develop and enhance the Bio-Seeq platform for use in a range of point-of-care diagnostic tests that Novartis Diagnostics will then move through clinical trials, regulatory affairs, and sales and marketing.
Under the agreement, Novartis Diagnostics will pay Smiths Detection for product development and commercial milestones. Further financial terms were not disclosed.
The Bio-Seeq platform is used to detect viral and bacterial pathogens, and it is designed for users with little or not biological testing experience, the London-based company said.
The LATE PCR technology Smiths Detection uses, which it licensed under an exclusive agreement with Brandeis University, is a method for isolating and amplifying individual DNA sequences to identify pathogens.