Enigma Diagnostics Ltd, a point-of-care molecular diagnostics company, signed a preliminary agreement for two licenses with Roche Molecular Systems, Inc. The licenses will provide Salisbury, UK-based Enigma full access to practice HybProbe real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) chemistry, and will allow the company to commercialise diagnostics for human and veterinary applications on a worldwide basis. This complements Enigma’s existing license under patents owned by Celera Diagnostics for real-time PCR thermal cyclers.
Enigma is a spin-out from the UK government’s chemical and biological weapons research centre at Porton Down. The company is currently developing a series of assays for infectious diseases including chlamydia, influenza and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). These tests will be combined with Enigma’s real-time PCR system to enable one-step molecular testing at point of care.
Financial terms of the Roche licenses were not disclosed.
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