ProGenTech Targets Clinical Diagnostics and Applied Sciences Markets with Human Genetic Signa...( EMERYVILLE Calif. Oct. 7 /- ProGe...),Health

EMERYVILLE, Calif., Oct. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- ProGenTech Limited, a life sciences & diagnostics company based in Shanghai, China and Emeryville, CA has signed a licensing agreement with Human Genetic Signatures, a Sydney, Australia based life science company to gain access to key hospital-acquired infection targets, payment terms were not disclosed.

Under the terms of the agreement, Human Genetic Signatures will develop assays for MRSA, MSSA, VRE and C. difficile which will then be further integrated into the ProGenTech Entura platforms. It is anticipated that manual assays for these initial targets will be taken to the FDA during 2009 followed by fully integrated and automated versions of the assays in 2010. Launching these assays will mark ProGenTech's initial foray into the molecular diagnostics market.

Dr. Trevor Hawkins, the Chairman & CEO of ProGenTech said, "We are very excited to be working with Human Genetic Signatures to develop and commercialize these assays. The advantages of our 'Press play and walk away(TM)' Entura systems together with the Human Genetic Signatures' 3base(TM) simplification technology will provide a valuable solution to the underserved hospital-acquired infections market."

"Our 3base(TM) assay technology is a natural fit with the current and future Entura systems," said Angus Hastie, CEO of Human Genetic Signatures. "Market trends are indicating that fast and easy to use modular platforms are a powerful path forward for molecular diagnostics. ProGenTech's platform vision in concert with a menu empowered by 3base(TM) assays will deliver new clinical benefits and the complete diagnostics package to this burgeoning market."

The key advantage of ProGenTech's Entura platforms is that they greatly reduce the total hands on time historically associated with sample preparation. The Entura uses a unique cassette-based approach in which all reagents for RNA, DNA or protein applications are pre-loaded in the casset
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