Perkin-Elmer and Quantech Ltd. Sign Licensing Agreement
Business Editors and Medical/Health Writers
NORWALK, Conn./ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BW HealthWire)--Aug. 6, 1998--
Perkin-Elmer (NYSE: PKN) and Quantech Ltd. (OTC Bulletin Board:
QQQQ), today announced that they have signed a licensing agreement.
Pursuant to this agreement Quantech will license certain technologies
from Perkin-Elmer for use by Quantech with its Surface Plasmon
Resonance (SPR) technology in the area of medical diagnostics.
"This agreement will allow Perkin-Elmer to examine ways to
leverage its technical expertise in optics in a medical market," noted
David H. Tracy, vice president of research and development at
Perkin-Elmer. "We continue to seek novel, profitable ways to fully
exploit our body of intellectual property by developing relationships
and innovative new products in areas such as medical diagnostics and
patient treatment. Also, we are optimistic that we can profitably
combine Quantech's SPR technology with existing Perkin-Elmer
technology to design new products in non-medical markets."
"Our current SPR digital detection biosensor technology will
provide a superior multi-test, near patient diagnostic system," said
Robert Case, Quantech CEO. "The technology we have licensed from PE
provides Quantech with a high performance, high throughput and low
cost next generation diagnostic platform. With the PE technology,
Quantech will continue to advance the state of the art in critical
care, near patient testing. Concurrently, it will allow us to address
the needs of high volume diagnostic markets and other potential
strategic partners. We believe that this innovative PE technology,
coupled with Quantech's command of its own technology, will firmly
establish the unique value of our SPR technology in the medical
diagnostic marketplace, worldwide."
The Perkin-Elmer Corporation is a leading supplier of systems for
life science research and related applications. It develops,
manufactures, and markets life science systems and analytical
instruments used in markets such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology,
forensics, environmental testing, food, agriculture, and chemical
manufacturing. Its systems enable pharmaceutical research companies to
compress the time and reduce the cost of discovering and developing
innovative pharmaceuticals. Headquartered in Connecticut, Perkin-Elmer
had revenues of nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal 1998 and employs more
than 6,500 people worldwide. Information about Perkin-Elmer is
available on the World Wide Web at perkin-elmer.com or by
phoning (800) 762-6923.
Based in St. Paul, Minn., Quantech is seeking to commercialize
its surface plasmon resonance (SPR) digital biosensor technology for
the medical diagnostic market. The company's diagnostic system is
designed for hospital critical care units, initially the emergency
department, to provide rapid quantitative multi-menu tests. Quantech's
first tests will be used for detecting and quantifying cardiac markers
which aid physicians in assessing whether a patent has suffered a
heart attack. Additional tests will be made available, allowing the
system to provide a complete menu of clinically related, quantitative
whole blood tests on a single instrument near the patient in 10 to 20
minutes. Information about Quantech is available on the World Wide Web
at biosensor.com or by phoning (651) 647-6370. |
