For Immediate Release
Prodesse Licenses Anti-Primer technology developed at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
WAUKESHA, WI (August 14th, 2007) – Prodesse, Inc. today announced that it has taken an exclusive license for a method of Anti-Primer based Quantitative Real-Time PCR developed by Dr. G. Mike Makrigiorgos of Dana Farber Cancer Institute, a Teaching Affiliate of Harvard Medical School. A patent has been applied for and the anti-primer technology has already been adopted at multiple institutions worldwide.
The Anti-Primer technology employs a novel signal generation method that allows for the absolute or relative quantification of various targets. It improves signal to noise and has great utility in a variety of diagnostic applications including infectious disease and cancer biomarker detection. Dr. Steve Visuri, Prodesse’s Chief Science Officer commented, “This technology will have widespread application and the relative quantification component of the invention may have a significant impact on improving cancer monitoring and prognostic capabilities. We expect to release our first products using Anti-Primer next year.”
Dr. Makrigiorgos has unveiled the technology over the past 12 months via lectures as an invited speaker and also through co-authoring papers with Postdoctoral Fellow Jin Li such as a recently published article in Nature Protocols.
Tom Shannon, Prodesse CEO remarked, “The uniqueness of the Anti-Primer technology fits well into our mix of method licenses. We are already working to maximize its potential and will be looking for collaborative and sublicense opportunities. We are grateful that we have been entrusted to drive forward the commercialization of this invention.”
About Prodesse
Prodesse is a biotechnology company focused on developing molecular diagnostic reagents for a variety of infectious disease applications. The company’s products are designed based on a combination of Prodesse’s patented technologies and other licensed technologies. Prodesse sells research use only kits worldwide, CE Marked in vitro diagnostic kits outside the US , FDA 510(k) cleared products worldwide and analyte specific reagents in the US . Analyte specific reagents can be used by CLIA certified laboratories to develop assays for detecting infectious organisms. The company’s products can be used on multiple nucleic acid extraction and PCR detection platforms. Prodesse also operates a CLIA certified laboratory for testing services in the Midwest area. For more information about Prodesse and its products, call 888-589-6974 or go to www.prodesse.com.
Press Contact:
Andy Shrago, Chief Marketing Officer
Prodesse, Inc.
Phone: (262) 446-0700
Email: ashrago@prodesse.com