CARLSBAD, Calif. - (Business Wire) Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE), a provider of innovative life science solutions, and Zymera, Inc., today announced a licensing and supply agreement that gives Zymera rights to Life Technologies’ extensive intellectual property estate related to quantum dots. Zymera will use Life Technologies’ Qdot® nanocrystals to create new, self-illuminating quantum dot products to improve in vivo imaging, biomarker discovery and a growing number of biosensing applications. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as academic researchers, use Life Technologies’ Qdot nanocrystals for studies of the underlying basis of disease and for detecting targets in complex mixtures. These nanocrystals are nanometer size, fluorescent particles made of semiconductor materials, which are invisible to the naked eye. These tiny particles emit intensely bright light when exposed to low-cost violet or ultraviolet light sources, displaying unique colors due to differences in size and composition.
Zymera’s novel self-illumination technology uses Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer, also referred to as BRET, to transfer light from a bioluminescent protein – such as luciferase – directly to quantum dots. The resulting BRET dots produce light without an external source of illumination, eliminating autofluorescence background and the need for external light sources, such as lasers. As a result, it is possible to visualize targets deeper in tissue sections or living animals, and to identify multiple targets at the same time with a wider variety of detection devices. Zymera expects to combine the technologies to develop new products for tracing blood and lymphatic fluid flow, tracking cells, and detecting biomarkers for use across a range of life science applications.
Mark Stevenson, President and Chief Operating Officer at Life Technologies
“This agreement enables Life Technologies to work with Zymera to expand the applications of our quantum dot technology portfolio beyond fluorescence into bioluminescence, which will enable our entry into new markets. The combination of Zymera’s technology with our fluorescent nanocrystals has the potential to create powerful solutions for the applied markets and other applications.”
Steve Miller, Vice President of Commercialization at Zymera
“Quantum dot technology is one of the fastest-evolving technologies in life science. By licensing intellectual property from the market leader in fluorescence-based applications, we are able to advance our Zymera solutions to further unleash the potential of self-illuminating quantum dot products for more scientists to apply this technology to get a clearer picture of complex samples.”
Additional Resources
Zymera Product Details about BRET-Qdot® reagents
Life Technologies recent news on quantum dots
Qdot nanocrystals for In Vitro Applications
About Life Technologies
Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE) is a global biotechnology tools company dedicated to improving the human condition. Our systems, consumables and services enable researchers to accelerate scientific exploration, driving to discoveries and developments that make life even better. Life Technologies customers do their work across the biological spectrum, working to advance personalized medicine, regenerative science, molecular diagnostics, agricultural and environmental research, and 21st century forensics. Life Technologies had sales of more than $3 billion in 2008, employs approximately 9,500 people, has a presence in more than 100 countries, and possesses a rapidly growing intellectual property estate of approximately 3,600 patents and exclusive licenses. Life Technologies was created by the combination of Invitrogen Corporation and Applied Biosystems Inc. For more information on how we are making a difference please visit our website: www.lifetechnologies.com.
About Zymera
Zymera, Inc. is a privately held nanobiotechnology company pioneering the commercialization of self-illuminating red to near infrared (NIR) emitting nanocrystal technologies for preclinical in vivo imaging and as an analytical platform for molecular detection. Zymera develops and produces self-illuminating Qdot® nanocrystal products; these Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer-Qdot® (BRET- Qdot®) conjugates convert biochemical energy to detectable photon energy. Zymera holds intellectual property rights to the technology and conducts leading-edge research in nanocrystal chemistries and applications. The company is based at the San Jose BioCenter, a state-of the-art research incubator sponsored by the City of San Jose, California. Zymera collaborates with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in developing high-value BRET-Qdot® applications. Additional information on Zymera can be found at: www.zymera.com/.
Life Technologies’ Safe Harbor Statement
This press release includes forward-looking statements about our anticipated results that involve risks and uncertainties. Some of the information contained in this press release, including, but not limited to, statements as to industry trends and Life Technologies’ plans, objectives, expectations and strategy for its business, contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. When used, the words “believe,” “plan,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “target,” “estimate,” “expect” and the like, and/or future tense or conditional constructions (“will,” “may,” “could,” “should,” etc.), or similar expressions, identify certain of these forward-looking statements. Important factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are detailed in filings made by Life Technologies with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Life Technologies undertakes no obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
Copyright 2009. Life Technologies Corporation. All rights reserved. Qdot® nanocrystals is a registered trademark of Life Technologies in the United States and/or certain other countries.
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