Peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) have numerous identified and proposed applications in molecular biology procedures, diagnostic assays, as well as antisense and anti-gene therapies.
Link Technologies and PNA Inventor have entered into a non-exclusive licence agreement to allow Link Technologies to manufacture and sell monomers for peptide nucleic acid (PNA) synthesis worldwide under the PNA Inventor Group's patents.
In terms of the overall research market for PNA technologies, recent estimates predict that PNA synthesis will account for 10% of the global DNA synthesis market by 2010; a market presently worth US$800m and growing at over 10% per year.
Peter Nielsen, professor at the University of Copenhagen, speaking on behalf of the PNA Inventor Group said, "We are very pleased to have granted Link a license to make and sell PNA monomers.
"We look forward to cooperating with Link and are confident that the continued availability of high quality PNA monomers will benefit research laboratories".
John Bremner, business development director of Link Technologies, also commented: "Agreement of this licence underlines our commitment to make new and emerging technologies available to our customers.
"We see broadening the access of PNA technology to researchers worldwide as an important part of this strategy".
Initially, Link will be offering the preferred Fmoc/Bhoc protected PNA monomers.
These monomers are compatible with commercial automated oligonucleotide, peptide or combinatorial synthesisers.
It is anticipated that these products will be available from July 2007.
