Xceed Grants License for Flow-Thru Chip Technology

Xceed Molecular (Toronto, Canada) has granted Gen-Probe (Wellesley, MA, USA) a license to use its Flow-Thru Chip technology for multiplex molecular diagnostics.

Under the terms of the agreement, Gen-Probe will pay up-front licensing and milestone fees to Xceed for non-exclusive access to the technology in specific fields. Gen-Probe also obtained the right to obtain co-exclusive rights (with Xceed) in pre-defined subfields. In addition to continuing royalty payments, the agreement provides that Xceed will supply Gen-Probe with Xceed's custom TipChips, its Ziplex automated gene-expression system, and other Xceed products. Additional terms were not disclosed.

Xceed's 3D Flow-Thru Chip design enables active transport of targets to probes. The chip is made of porous silicon with channels that extend from the upper to the lower surface of the chip. Molecular interactions occur within the three-dimensional matrix of these channels as target solutions pass through. This approach facilitates specific interactions between target molecules and immobilized probes, resulting in hybridization times that are three- to four-times faster than conventional methods.

Gen-Probe's executive vice president and chief scientist, Dan Kacian, Ph.D., M.D., commented, "There are many promising applications for moderate-density arrays in clinical diagnostics and other applications, and we believe that Xceed's technologies in combination with our own technologies will facilitate our entry into these expanding markets.”

Xceed Molecular is a pioneer in the development of cost-effective, easy-to-use gene-expression analysis systems. Gen-Probe is a global leader in the development, manufacture, and marketing of rapid, accurate, and cost-effective nucleic acid testing products for diagnosing human diseases and screening donated human blood.


Related Links:
Xceed Molecular
Gen-Probe