Qiagen will distribute a new amplification buffer from Sygnis Pharma under a licensing agreement between the companies, Sygnis said today.
Sygnis, which maintains offices in Madrid and Heidelberg, Germany, said that the license is non-exclusive, and that the amplification buffer is a tool used in isothermal amplification to provide "superior reaction performance," but did not provide additional details.
The amplification buffer was developed in the laboratory of Margarita Salas at Spain's Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (Spanish National Research Council), or CSIC.
The agreement follows on the heels of similar licensing agreement between Sygnis and Qiagen last July to distribute Sygnis' QualiPhi polymerase. That license, however, granted Qiagen exclusive distribution rights, and was executed through Spanish firm X-Pol Biotech, which Sygnis later acquired (PCR Insider, 7/19/2012).
QualiPhi is an upgraded version of phi 29 DNA polymerase that can increase the performance of DNA amplification, particularly of large DNA fragments and complete genomes. The enzyme also enables a wide range of other applications including DNA amplification, repair, and modification of genetic targets of research and clinical interest.
The new agreement "shows that Sygnis is making progress in the commercialization of core technologies and products designed for the DNA sequencing and amplification market," Sygnis CEO Pilar de la Huerta said in a statement.