ZyGem said today that it has signed an OEM agreement with Saudi Diagnostics, which will market ZyGem's DNA and RNA extraction kits for a variety of research applications.
Established in 2007 by the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, SDL develops molecular genetic tests uniquely relevant to Arab populations.
Saudi Diagnostics was the first company to offer molecular diagnostic tests in the Arabic Middle East that met quality standards set by the College of American Pathologists. It currently serves as the commercial arm of KFSH&RC for developing and spinning out new biotechnology companies.
As an example of how ZyGem's technology will be marketed and distributed, recent KFSH&RC biotechnology startup Al Bio "will provide regional research and medical institutions with a reliable local supply of key laboratory reagents at international quality standards, including kits incorporating ZyGem's nucleic acid extraction technologies," Khalid Khabar, director of the Program in Biomolecular Research at KFSH&RC, said in a statement.
ZyGem's line of nucleic acid extraction kits feature optimized formulations of proprietary enzymatic technologies that use a single-tube process to rapidly and cost-effectively extract high-quality DNA or RNA from specific sample types, ZyGem said. The company's patented thermophilic enzymes have been isolated from its proprietary culture collection, consisting of rare microorganisms from extreme environments.