QuantuMDx Group has declared that it has entered into an exclusive license deal with Nanosys for various patents and patent applications covering the utilization of nanostructures for the production of biosensors.
The intellectual property portfolio mainly covers the utilization of nanotubes and nanowires in biosensors such as field effect transistor biosensors, which were developed by Charles Lieber, who serves as a chemistry professor at Harvard. As per the deal, QuantuMDx has received exclusive global rights for the utilization of nanomaterials for DNA sequencing and determining disease-specific nucleic acid biomarkers, while Nanosys has secured downstream royalty payments and a direct license fee. Other terms of the agreement were not revealed.
Nanosys is the owner of a wide-ranging intellectual property portfolio covering various nanotechnology features such as nanowires and quantum dots for numerous applications, with major focus on energy storage and LED backlighting. QuantuMDx Group will be provided access to Nanosys’ technologies for nanowire synthesis and composition and use it along with its in-house microfluidic, chemistry and biology technologies in several portable devices for DNA sequencing and molecular diagnostics.
QuantuMDx Group’s Chief Executive Officer, Elaine Warburton stated that Nanosys’s technology enables precise diagnosis and measurement of numerous biomarkers utilizing compact arrays of biosensors that readily integrates with QuantuMDx’s DNA sequencing. The company’s medical director, Sir John Burn stated that the company is developing a user-friendly, sample-to-result instrument that can offer portable, clinical DNA sequencing. The technology is inexpensive and offers results within minutes, making it a key device in the clinical tool box, he said.
Nanosys’ Vice President of Intellectual Property and General Counsel, Andrew Filler commented that Nanosys has succeeded in increasing the number of applications of sophisticated materials in the market by continual advancement, commercialization and licensing as attempted with QuantuMDx.