WaferGen BioSystems said today that it inked an agreement with the Integrated BioBank of Luxembourg to co-develop molecular signatures for diagnostic research and commercial applications.
Under the agreement, IBBL will purchase a WaferGen SmartChip Real-Time PCR system and use it to discover and validate gene expression patterns, the company said. In addition, the partners plan to co-develop molecular signatures in cancer and other areas and file for regulatory approval in Europe.
Further, IBBL will offer profiling services in Europe using the SmartChip system, WaferGen said.
WaferGen Chairman and CEO Alnoor Shivji said the alliance "enables WaferGen to access best-annotated patient samples for future diagnostic products. It also establishes a beachhead in Europe to unlock the short- and long-term revenue potential of the WaferGen SmartChip system."
WaferGen also said that it will establish its European headquarters at the IBBL facilities in the "very near future." The company disclosed in March that it reached an agreement with the Luxembourg government to locate its European headquarters in the country (PCR Insider, 3/31/10).
The new Luxembourg location will house Wafergen's European marketing and sales, service and support, distribution, management of any subsidiaries and distributors, IP management, and some R&D activities, the company said.