OpGen Technologies, Stratos and Micronics to Collaborate in Developing Optical Mapping Instruments
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OpGen Technologies, Inc. has entered into agreements with Stratos Product Development, LLC and Micronics Inc. for the development of its first commercial product.
The companies each bring unique capabilities to the innovation of cost-effective, high-throughput instruments and disposables employing OpGen's Optical Mapping technology platform.
The company intends to market these systems worldwide to genome analysis and clinical microbiology research laboratories.
"Partnering with Stratos and Micronics, two world-class life-science systems experts, perfectly combines all of our business assets," said Colin Dykes, Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Vice-President of Corporate Development for OpGen Technologies, Inc.
"This collaboration will translate into real value for our customers, making Optical Mapping systems directly available to research scientists and allowing clinical microbiologists to identify infectious agents and appropriate treatments within a single six-hour shift."
Optical Mapping technology is a platform that enables whole genome analysis that is both complementary and additive to existing microarray and SNP genotyping systems.
Where current technologies are best at detecting small changes in DNA sequence, Optical Mapping detects genome rearrangements, including insertions/deletions ("indels"), translocations, inversions, repeats and gene amplification.
The combined partnership is expected to enable OpGen Technologies to introduce a first-of-its-kind product, allowing researchers to utilize the Optical Mapping technology in-house.
Under the terms of its agreement, Stratos, a world-class systems solution provider, will apply its extensive knowledge and experience in technology commercialization, systems integration, instrumentation development and regulatory compliance.
Stratos will also employ a comprehensive product strategy, including full utilization of its research, design, engineering and project management skills in the development of OpGen's genome and clinical microbial analysis Optical Mapping instruments.
Micronics, a leading developer of point-of-care in vitro diagnostic products, will provide its expertise in the development of the disposable device on which the fluidics assay of the Optical Mapping technology is performed.
Micronics is regarded worldwide as one of the premier providers of microfluidics-enabled products in which sample preparation, biological assays, surface chemistries and materials science are combined with its established intellectual property portfolio, including 50 issued patents.
