19 May Promega Announces Agreement with Abbott
Illinois-based Abbott will distribute nucleic acid extraction products that will be manufactured by Promega.
Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.
The Abbott/Promega collaboration will provide a system to purify and extract viral RNA from patient samples using Abbott’s novel magnetic particle technology. The RNA extraction system will be used in Abbott’s m1000, an automated sample preparation system for molecular diagnostics that will be introduced in 2003.
“Automation of sample preparation at low and high throughput is a key need for molecular diagnostics laboratories,said Bill Linton, president and CEO, Promega Corporation.
Utilizing the magnetic particle technology, extraction of viral RNA can be performed on a fully automated, walk-away basis, processing up to 96 samples in only a few hours.
“This collaboration will provide a new level of automation for molecular diagnostic laboratories and will be particularly beneficial in testing for infectious diseases and monitoring patient therapy,” said Gene Cartwright, Ph.D., divisional vice-president, Molecular Diagnostics, Abbott Laboratories.
Promega Corporation, founded in 1978, with sales in excess of $130 million provides 1200 products that enable scientists worldwide to advance their knowledge in genomics, proteomics and cellular analysis, molecular diagnostics and human identification.