NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Genomic services provider Macrogen said on Tuesday that it has signed a one-year agreement to be the exclusive buyer of Exosome Plus' Exo2D exosome isolation kits.
The South Korean companies have also signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on the development of exosome-based biomedical products including diagnostics and therapeutics.
Under the terms of the deal, Macrogen will be the sole Exo2D buyer for a one-year period and have the right to sell the kits to third parties. The company said it intends to use the kits for its recently introduced exosomal RNA and DNA sequencing service for the research market, as well as sell them across its worldwide distribution network.
Additional terms were not disclosed.
Under their memorandum of understanding, Macrogen and Exosome Plus, based in Suwon, will work together on the development of exosome-based biomarkers, therapeutics, drug-delivery carriers, vaccines, and cosmetics. The firms will also collaborate on drug-development education and training, and share certain of their infrastructure including equipment and facilities.
"Exosomes are an industry with huge potential, and their use is expanding rapidly into fields such as disease diagnosis and treatment, pharmaceuticals, and more," Macrogen CEO Kap-Seok Yang said in a statement. "By strengthening our cooperative relations with Exosome Plus … we will be able to begin our efforts in earnest to enter the exosome-based biopharmaceuticals market."
Last month, Seoul-based Macrogen partnered with Microba to develop microbiome research services for international markets.