History
Milestones
22-Aug-2006 - LGC announces first European patent grant for its
HyBeacons® technology
Hybridisation beacon and method of rapid sequence detection and
discrimination
LGC, Europe´s leading independent analytical laboratory, is
delighted to announce that, on July 25 2006, LGC’s first patent
application associated with its innovative
HyBeacons® technology was granted within the
European Patent Territories. LGC’s Dr David McDowell and Dr David
French, along with Professor Tom Brown of Southampton University,
are the named inventors of the technology behind the patent
entitled: ‘Hybridisation beacon and method of rapid sequence
detection and discrimination’.
HyBeacons®are short DNA sequences
that contain a fluorescent molecule attached within the heart of
the sequence. HyBeacons® can be designed
to act as probes to detect sections of DNA sequence with a genetic
variation. The central location of the fluorescent molecule within
the probe has considerable advantages over previously invented
probes that have such signalling chemistry placed at the end of the
DNA probe.
HyBeacons®probes were developed at
LGC in response to forensic and medical requirements to identify
key genetic differences between individuals, or to distinguish
micro-organisms and have unique characteristics that make them
suitable for very rapid diagnostic and point-of-care
applications. To date, HyBeacon®assays have been
designed for use in medical genetic as well as infectious
diagnostic testing. Potential applications range from the ability
to determine whether an individual will derive therapeutic value
from certain prescribed drugs through to rapid confirmation of a
suspected infection. As a recent example LGC, in association with
the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London, has used its
HyBeacons®technology to enable the development of a
pharmacogenetic screening service which can predict whether a
patient with schizophrenia will respond positively to the
antipsychotic drug clozapine.
Commenting on the news of the patent, Dr David
McDowell, Life Sciences Business Development Manager at LGC, said:
“We are absolutely delighted at the news of the new patent,
which is LGC’s first EU patent grant since privatisation.
Furthermore, our patent application has now progressed to grant in
both New Zealand and South Africa and is now under assessment by
US, Canadian and Australian patent examiners. This is important
recognition for HyBeacons® and I am pleased to say
that a number of in-house service applications and external licence
deals are now in progress. A second patent is
pending.”
In 2004, LGC granted its first
HyBeacons®licence to Osmetech plc, for use in medical
genetic test applications for analyte specific reagents that
indicate inherited genetic traits. Most recently LGC announced its
participation in a research project, funded under the EPSRC Think
Crime Programme, looking at ways in which LGC’s
HyBeacons® technology can be further developed for
the specific requirements of forensic analysis.