Molecular Probes Licenses Fluorescence Technology

EUGENE, Ore. and HUDDINGE, Sweden, April 10 -- LightUp Technologies, a Swedish developer of molecular-based technologies for medical diagnostic uses, said it will launch DNA analysis products using technology it has licensed from Molecular Probes, an Oregon-based developer of fluorescence-based detection methods for scientific and biomedical research.

Molecular Probes will supply advanced reactive stains for LightUp Technologies' LightUp Probe products, which LightUp expects to begin marketing to the health care community in May. LightUp Probes are short peptide nucleic acid conjugates that increase in fluorescence when hybridized to target sequences. LightUp Probe products identify and quantify the presence of bacteria, viruses and other pathogens by detecting and analyzing DNA.

Molecular Probes said its reactive nucleic acid stains exhibit a hundred-fold to a thousand-fold increase in fluorescence upon binding to nucleic acids and are designed to spectrally match commonly used fluorescence detection instrumentation. The initial product will be an assay for the detection and quantification of cytomegalovirus, to be marketed under the brand name ReSSQ CMV. Additional products will follow.

Financial terms of the licensing agreement were not disclosed.

For more information, visit: www.probes.com