GenVault announces an exclusive agreement to acquire the full rights to the DNA labelling intellectual property invented by Nigel Atkinson and Brian Haarer, researchers at the University of Texas
This patent allows GenVault to offer and license GenCode, its DNA labelling technology, to a broader market and positions it as the only company to offer double labeling for nucleic acid samples.
This technology makes it possible for scientists to identify the sample through its complete downstream analysis to maintain a permanent chain of custody.
"Acquiring this patent is a valuable acquisition for GenVault as we expand into new markets," commented David Wellis, senior vice president, marketing and sales for GenVault.
"DNA labelling has been an integral part of our system that improves upon current biosample labelling techniques".
Establishing and maintaining the correct identity of biosamples is critical to the integrity of research studies, human identity tracking, forensics and diagnostic testing.
The advantage GenCode offers is a barcode that permanently identifies each biosample and remains with the sample even after it is removed from its container and eluted from its original storage medium.
Therefore, a sample can be traced back to the original sample regardless of its physical state.
To validate the potential effectiveness and benefits of their GenCode technology, GenVault recently published a peer-reviewed paper in Cell Preservation Technology (3: 54-59, 2005) titled "A DNA-based biological sample tracking method" that details the GenCode process and its uses in biosample storage.
The patented technology, US Patent No 6,153,389, is used as a direct mechanism for marking biological samples (blood, semen, saliva, etc) that are to be used for subsequent DNA analysis.
This process provides a distinctive identifying label for collected biosamples in future identification.
