Summary
Polyplus-transfection® licenses ZNA™ oligonucleotide technology to Metabion. ZNA™ technology provides for increased affinity for nucleic acids
Strasbourg, France, March 2, 2010 – Polyplus-transfection® SA, a company developing innovative solutions for molecular and cellular biology, announced today that Metabion GmbH, a company specialized in custom synthesis of biopolymers, has signed a non-exclusive agreement to manufacture and commercialize Polyplus-transfection’s Zip Nucleic Acid (ZNA™) oligonucleotides, a new technology that increases affinity for nucleic acids. Under the terms of the license, metabion GmbH has acquired rights to manufacture and commercialize custom ZNA™ oligonucleotides for research and in vitro diagnostic applications. metabion GmbH will begin commercialization on March 22nd, 2010.
Zip Nucleic Acids (ZNA™) are novel modified oligonucleotides that offer increased affinity for nucleic acids without reducing specificity. This brings several advantages: ZNAs improve the performance of molecular hybridization techniques such as PCR assays when used as primers or probes, ZNAs also increase the sensitivity of tests and the detection of mutations, in addition, ZNAs’ performance compares favourably with the best modified oligonucleotides available in the market today, further, ZNAs have the distinct advantage of being easy to design and cost effective to produce.
“We are truly delighted to sign this agreement with metabion, a well-established dynamic oligonucleotide company in Europe,” said Mark Bloomfield, CEO of Polyplus-transfection. “This licensing agreement will enable more members of the life science community to access our innovative ZNA™ technology.”
“In line with our approach to intelligently and deliberately expand our oligonucleotide custom synthesis portfolio to bring ever increasing value to our customers, we see great potential for ZNA™ modified oligonucleotides due to the inherent (chemical) advantages they offer for state-of-the-art molecular biological applications,” said Dr. Regina Bichlmaier, CEO at metabion. “Combining our own and our customers´ expertise, this new technology will contribute to increase R&D flexibility and progress.”
About ZNA™
ZNA™ (Zip Nucleic Acids) are oligocation-oligonucleotide conjugates that demonstrate an increased affinity for their complementary sequence without reduction in specificity. Increased affinity derives from the molecules’ cationic moieties (functional groups), which reduce the charge repulsion between the two nucleic acid strands. Thanks to the non-directive nature of the electrostatic interactions, this affinity gain is independent of the base sequence and is therefore predictable, thus making the design of ZNAs extremely easy. ZNAs are produced using a standard oligonucleotide synthesizer allowing fast, cost effective production as well as the ability to add further useful modifications such as fluorescent markers.
ZNA™ is a trademark of Polyplus-transfection®.
About Polyplus-transfection
Polyplus-transfection® SA is a biotechnology company researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing innovative solutions for scientists working in molecular and cell biology. Located close to the city and University of Strasbourg in Eastern France, the company has been producing and selling its proprietary range of transfection reagents and technologies since 2001. The multidisciplinary Polyplus R&D team includes chemists, molecular and cellular biologists. Polyplus-transfection recently extended its product offering to molecular biologists with the launch and commercialization of ZNA™ oligonucleotides. The company holds a broad portfolio of patents and licenses in the fields of nucleic acid delivery and modified oligonucleotides. Polyplus-transfection® is an ISO 9001 accredited company. For more information, please visit our web site at: https://www.polyplus-sartorius.com/
About Metabion
Metabion is one of the globally leading suppliers of custom nucleic acids renowned for its focus on reliable supplies of consistently high quality products and services. Founded in 1997 in Munich/Martinsried, metabion´s popularity rapidly spread all over Europe and beyond from its home base Germany as a consequence of its successful translation of high quality standards into daily practice. metabion´s core business is the production of synthetic DNA and RNA oligonucleotides according to customers´ needs. Academic, government, and commercial scientists in the field of life sciences value metabion´s approach of paying individual and dedicated attention to each and every order, problem, or request for the sake of achieving best results. Never compromising on quality while scaling up daily output due to the rapidly growing customer base and demands has been and is key to metabion´s success story being realized by the creative, innovative, ambitious and healthy spirit of its employees and customers.
http://www.metabion.com/home/index.php