Applied Biosystems has started a software development initiative to advance the bioinformatics applications for its recently released SOLiD DNA sequencing system. The initiative will involve the company expanding its Software Development Community to include data sets, data file formats and data conversion tools.
"The promise that next-generation genetic analysis technologies will generate better data, faster, and at a lower cost will only be realised when there are sufficient software applications that allow researchers to analyse these data," said Michael Wittig, a bioinformatician at the Institute for Clinical Molecular Biology in Kiel.
"Applied Biosystems' willingness to provide access to tools and reference data sets is helping us to more rapidly develop the software applications that are necessary to advance our work in understanding genetic variation."
Empire Genomics has obtained a non-exclusive license to a number of Affymetrix' patents covering the manufacturing, use and sales of nucleic acid microarrays and related products and services for comparative genomic hybridisation (CGH).
Conditions were not disclosed.
"This agreement with Affymetrix enables Empire Genomics to bring its innovative genomics platform to market while continuing the advancement of personalized medicine. We fully expect that focusing in the field of copy number variation will lead to the discovery of the genomic causes of multiple diseases, as well as advanced therapeutic treatment strategies," said Anthony Johnson, CEO of Empire Genomics.
NanoSight Ltd has completed an angel investor round that increase the company's shareholder base and complements previous investments by Venture Capital companies that include NESTA, Strathdon and South West Ventures.
The latest investment in the nanoparticle characterisation company came from members of the SWAIN and OEI Investment Networks.
"The investment round was oversubscribed, which is very encouraging for the company, and brings on board a group of investors with experience in growing high technology companies. We aim to use the funds to support the growth of our worldwide distributor network and to increase the functionality of the NanoSight LM20 and LM10 systems," said John Knowles, Chairman of NanoSight.
"We are working with our customers in a number of exciting areas of nanoparticle research. It is vital that we support our users in their applications as they discover the potential of our unique technology and our ability to respond rapidly with major software and hardware enhancements."
Q Chip has closed a £2m (€2.9m) funding round which included existing major shareholders as well as new investors.
News of the investment follows the launch of two new products this year, the MicroPlant microfluidics device that enables pharmaceutical and life science reagents to be packaged in precise, uniform polymer beads and the ReaX Mastermix Lab-in-a-Bead range that encapsulates all the reagents required to perform PCR in a single dose bead.
"ReaX de-skills PCR processing through packaging of reagents in a single dose bead. We have calculated it can reduce the time involved by up to ninety percent" said Dr Jo Daniels, Q Chip's Chief Scientific Officer.
"We believe our products will hasten field-based testing of bio-threats and food chain contaminants as well as point of care diagnostics for human health care. It's this sort of market potential that generated so much interest amongst existing and new investors."
Thermo Fisher Scientific has acquired Davis Inotek's instrument sales business and will brand the company as Davis Instruments.
The instruments will be sold through Thermo Fisher's Cole-Parmer customer channel that provides technical instruments a. equipment and supplies to industrial, pharmaceutical government and academic customers.
The acquisition does not include the Davis Inotek calibration services business.
"The addition of Davis Instruments is a perfect complement to the Cole-Parmer channel, and will strengthen our ability to meet our customers' needs through a range of convenient purchasing options," said Marijn Dekkers, CEO of Thermo Fisher Scientific.
Vermilion (formerly Ciphergen) has received a non-compliance warning from the Nasdaq delisting notice because its stock price has fallen below $1(€0.7) for the last 30 business days.
The notice comes just after the company closed a $20.6 million private placement of common stock from the sale of $24.5m shares of common stock.
