NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Molecular diagnostics company Rheonix today announced a joint development agreement with Life Technologies aimed at a molecular testing platform for the applied markets.
Rheonix will supply its technology developed for the molecular diagnostics market, including its CARD disposable cartridges, to Life Tech for marketing, sales and distribution. Together the two companies will develop a platform designed for the food safety testing market that will enable laboratories to detect disease-causing organisms, including serotype identification in a fully automated format. The platform is targeted for a market launch next year.
The CARD system is a microfluidic platform that fully automates all the functions of a molecular biology lab on a small disposable chip.
Along with addressing the applied market, the deal, Ithaca, NY-based Rheonix said, will "significantly" shorten the time by which it can enter the clinical market it its sample-to-result molecular diagnostic instrument.
Financial and other terms were not disclosed.
On Monday Life Tech also announced a five-year food safety deal with the US Food and Drug Administration aimed at detecting E. coli and Salmonella.