NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) — Minerva Biotechnologies has non-exclusively licensed Osmetech’s self-assembling monolayer technology for use with its proprietary nanoparticle technology, Osmetech said today.
Osmetech said Minerva will use the SAM technology to study signal enhancement, drug design, drug screening, and functional proteomics.
Osmetech exclusively licensed the technology from Harvard University a decade ago. The IP was invented in part by Minerva founder and CSO Cynthia Bamdad.
SAM technology is used in biosensing to minimize background signal, provide for uniform functionalized attachment of molecules to surfaces, and reduce nonspecific aggregation events.
Osmetech uses the technology with nucleic acid analyte diagnostics. For instance, late last year the company licensed the technology to Ohmx, which planned to use it in non-nucleic acid analyte detection schemes.
Osmetech is “currently in dialog” with an undisclosed number of other companies that have expressed interest, Edward Kreusser, Osmetech’s vice president of intellectual property and legal affairs, said in a statement.
Financial terms of the agreement were not released.