Link Technologies secures exclusive license for ultra sensitive diagnostic probes

Deal marks the start of ongoing collaboration between Link and The University of Manchester

01-Dec-2009 - United Kingdom

Link Technologies Ltd has announced an exclusive license deal with The University of Manchester Intellectual Property Limited (UMIP). Under the terms of the license for the University’s “exciplex” technology, Link will manufacture and sell highly sensitive exciplex-based diagnostic reagents worldwide. Exciplex technology offers ultra-biospecificity and significantly increased detection sensitivity over conventional systems due to negligible background signal. This license marks the start of a forward collaboration between Link and the University to develop the existing technology.

Honorary Professor Ken Douglas and Dr Elena Bichenkova, a Senior Lecturer in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Manchester, have developed new exciplex diagnostic probes based on labelling oligonucleotides with exciplex partners that form excited-state complexes in close spatial proximity. Application of these modified oligonucleotides in diagnostic systems has been shown to discriminate DNA mutations at the level of PCR products and plasmid DNA. Professor Douglas commented: “This is a very exciting opportunity to bring together a University discovery base and this excellent company. The exciplex is a significant new area of science and we are pleased to have the expertise of Link Technologies to take this forward commercially for clinical benefit”.

Patents for this technology, covering all major market areas, are held by the University of Manchester and licensed to Link. Link Technologies has also secured the rights to any intellectual property arising from the collaboration with the University. No financial details of the agreement have been disclosed.

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