Agilent Acquires Pathogen Identification Technique
Mr. Salem told IBO that the initial applications for the technology will be infectious disease panels for public health screening, which are expected to be commercialized in summer 2010. Future applications are food pathogen detection and SNP genotyping. The technology can multiplex up to 33 different probes at a time.
Santa Clara, CA 11/16/09—Agilent Technologies has acquired MassCode technology from Eurofins MWG Group for an undisclosed amount. MassCode Tags are small molecules with unique molecular weights that are used to screen for specific pathogens. Tags are attached to DNA primers corresponding to microbial sequences. The primers are used to amplify nucleic acid using PCR. The tag is released by applying UV radiation and identified with MS. “By acquiring this technology and moving it forward, Agilent is creating a new solution that enables mid-range multiplex screening for the life science research market,” stated Gustavo Salem, Agilent vice president and general manager, Biological Systems Division.
