febit acquires two licenses from DKFZ (German Cancer Research Center)

Heidelberg, December 6, 2005. febit biotech gmbh, the manufacturer of GENIOM – a DNA-chip-based biological analysis device – and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg announced the conclusion of a license agreement. febit has acquired global rights to a substance developed by the DKFZ division of Dr. Jörg Hoheisel and to improved application methods, including the right to grant sublicenses. The licensing of these ingredients to febit offers the company an alternative synthesis chemistry for its product platform GENIOM which enhances the efficiency of the DNA synthesis process. DKFZ will receive license fees in return for the use of the patented substances.


The licenses
The first license covers febit’s right to a light-dependent DNA synthesis module that can be used as an alternative chemical substance in the synthesis process. New applications similar to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are established hereon using enzymatic detection processes. The second license covers the use of a special highly-efficient solvent in the light-controlled DNA synthesis process which significantly improves the quality of the synthesis.


Comments
Peer Stähler, Vice President Marketing&Sales of febit biotech gmbh:
"The license agreement takes us one step further towards our goal of continually optimizing the product platform GENIOM and promptly open up potential for further development. The substances developed by the DKFZ provide us with two important advantages. Firstly, they offer us additional scope in the field of substance synthesis. Secondly, they provide us with new potential for developing further GENIOM products."

Dr. Frieder Kern, Technology Manager of the office of Technology Transfer at the DKFZ:
"We are delighted that we could extend our successful co-operation with febit ag through granting it the licenses. One of the DKFZ’s functions is to promote technology transfer between science and industry, and this co-operation is further evidence that regional networks, such as the network in the Rhein-Neckar region, are thoroughly capable of meeting international standards."


Background information
Heidelberg-based febit biotech gmbh, is manufacturing GENIOM®, a DNA-analysis system based on biochip technology. The GENIOM platform - including the GENIOM instrument and the innovative biochip called DNA processor® - allow fast and flexible genetic analyses. For the first time, users can design and produce high density oligonucleotide microarrays by way of in situ synthesis at their own lab bench. Sequence data are directly fed into the GENIOM, synthesis is started and in a matter of hours the individually established DNA array is ready for use in the biological experiment. febit customers are currently using the bioanalyser GENIOM in basic molecular biology and medical research.


DKFZ (German Cancer Research Center)
The task of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) is to systematically investigate the mechanisms of cancer development and to identify cancer risk factors. The results of this basic research are expected to lead to new approaches in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The Center is financed to 90 percent by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and to 10 percent by the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg. It is a member of the Helmholtz Association of National Research Centers (Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forschungszentren e.V.).

www.dkfz.de