Invitrogen Enters into Worldwide Co-Marketing Agreement with genOway Focused on RNAi Services
Thursday December 15, 5:00 pm ET
Deal Positions Companies to Address in vivo Target Validation Market
CARLSBAD, Calif. & LYON, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 15, 2005--Invitrogen Corporation (Nasdaq:IVGN - News), a provider of essential life science technologies for disease research and drug discovery and genOway, a creator of genetically modified biological models today announced the signing of a co-marketing agreement around RNAi related services. Under the terms of the agreement, Invitrogen and genOway will combine Invitrogen's expertise in RNAi research technologies with genOway's portfolio of transgenesis technologies and RNAi in vivo experience to create a services platform offering RNAi vector design through the creation of RNAi transgenic rodent models. Both companies will share revenues but specific financial terms of the collaboration were not disclosed.
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An important part of the drug discovery research and development process involves in vivo studies, often performed in animal models. As RNAi technology has advanced, the need to validate RNAi knockdown in model systems has been regarded as the next step in the eventual development of therapeutics based on the technique.
"Combining the services of these two leading RNAi companies will provide researchers with a complete solution to ensure successful RNAi research for drug discovery and therapeutic applications," said Jon Hindar, Senior Vice President of Life Sciences at Invitrogen. "This broad service offering has the potential to significantly accelerate target validation studies in disease research."
"RNAi continues to gain acceptance in drug discovery and development applications," explained Kader Thiam, Head of Transgenic technologies of genOway. "Our leading in vivo RNAi technologies are strengthened by the solid in vitro applications Invitrogen has developed."
RNAi has rapidly become one of the most widely used techniques in drug discovery research. Using RNAi technology, scientists can turn genes "off," enabling them to observe a cell's behavior in the absence of the targeted gene's protein product. This may lead to better understanding of disease mechanisms and eventually, better therapies.
Invitrogen has built a strong RNAi technology portfolio in recent years, first offering a family of products under the BLOCK-iT(TM) name in September 2003, including short interfering RNA (siRNA), kits for creating short hairpin RNA (shRNA), and technologies to deliver RNAi reagents to cells and tissues. In November 2003, Invitrogen announced that it had acquired privately-held Sequitur, Inc. of Natick, Mass. Sequitur brought to Invitrogen Stealth(TM) technology, a proprietary synthetic RNA molecule that holds advantages over traditional siRNA in specificity, efficacy, stability and reducing "off target" effects of silencing. Invitrogen continues to develop technologies to enhance its comprehensive RNAi solution to address evolving needs of researchers in the formative era of the application. This year Invitrogen launched the BLOCK-iT(TM) pol II miR RNAi expression vector kits and services which combine the advantages of traditional RNAi vectors with capabilities for tissue specific expression and multiple target knockdown from the same transcript.
In three years, genOway has become the leading company for in vivo RNAi rodent models. Beginning in 2003 genOway launched its Safe RNAi Transgenesis(TM) technology based on random integration of shRNA into ES cells. In 2004 the company launched its RNAi Quick Knock-in(TM) technology that allows targeted insertion of the shRNA into a specific gene locus, HPRT. Most recently genOway has started offering a Rat Knock-down R&D program.
About genOway
Based in Lyons, France and Hamburg, Germany genOway is a service provider fully dedicated to the development of tailor made transgenic mouse and rat models. The company has established business relationships with renowned academic research centres, major biotech companies and leading pharmaceuticals companies. Operating in 20 countries in Europe, North America and Japan, genOway is, with respect to staff and clients, the largest company in its field in Europe. For more information, visit www.genoway.com.
About Invitrogen
Invitrogen Corporation (Nasdaq:IVGN - News) provides products and services that support academic and government research institutions and pharmaceutical and biotech companies worldwide in their efforts to improve the human condition. The company provides essential life science technologies for disease research, drug discovery, and commercial bioproduction. Invitrogen's own research and development efforts are focused on breakthrough innovation in all major areas of biological discovery including functional genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics and cell biology - placing Invitrogen's products in nearly every major laboratory in the world. Founded in 1987, Invitrogen is headquartered in Carlsbad, California and conducts business in more than 70 countries around the world. The company globally employs approximately 4,800 scientists and other professionals and had revenues of more than $1 billion in 2004. For more information, visit www.invitrogen.com. |
