A Diagnostics & Imaging Week

GE Healthcare (Chalfont St. Giles, UK), a unit of General Electric (Fairfield, Connecticut), reported that it has granted NorDiag (Bergen, Norway) access to GE Healthcare patents for the biomagnetic isolation of nucleic acids. The license, which is valid for the lifetime of the patents, grants NorDiag certain rights with respect to the isolation and purification of nucleic acids using GE Healthcare’s proprietary magnetic separation technology. Financial terms were not disclosed.

GE Healthcare says that its patented methods for magnetic separation offer advantages over conventional techniques for the isolation and purification of biomolecules such as DNA and RNA from laboratory and clinical samples by enabling diagnosis from smaller-volume patient samples because they increase the yield of nucleic acid from disease-causing pathogens isolated from patient samples.

“This license recognizes the considerable value that our biomagnetic isolation technology can bring to the diagnosis of infectious diseases,” said Eric Roman, general manager, Genomic Sciences, GE Healthcare.

M rten Wigst l, CEO of NorDiag, said the license is important because it “shows shareholders that we have the capability to bring in external technologies from large players such as GE Healthcare to strengthen our technology base.”

NorDiag is a biotech company with focus on gene-based diagnostics in the fields of cancer and infectious diseases. The company’s first product in cancer diagnosis is Genefec for diagnosis of colorectal cancer. In addition the company has a product for automated sample preparation of sexually transmitted diseases, as well as applications for other infectious diseases in the product pipeline

In other dealmaking news:

• Enzo Biochem (New York) reported that its subsidiary, Enzo Life Sciences, and Abbott Laboratories (Abbott Park, Illinois) have entered into an agreement covering the supply of certain of Enzo’s products to Abbott Molecular for use in their fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) product line. The companies have also entered into a royalty bearing cross-licensing agreement of patents for FISH systems, comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) analysis and labeling and detection technologies. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The cross-licensing agreement includes Enzo patents directed towards its labeling and detection systems as they relate to Abbott’s FISH platform. The license also provides Enzo with limited access to Abbott’s FISH technology patents, CGH patents and various patents which relate to particular chromosome targets.

FISH technology is used to help diagnose and/or select therapy for certain cancers, such as breast, bladder, and leukemia, as well as to help diagnose genetic disorders. CGH is a molecular cytogenetic method for the analysis of chromosomal copy number changes (gains /losses) which are recognized as the underlying basis for congenital disorders and complex diseases such as cancer.

Dr. Elazar Rabbani CEO of Enzo Biochem, said, “for Enzo, what is especially important is that they represent further acknowledgment of Enzo’s proprietary technology and product development capabilities, as well as the breadth of our intellectual property estate. In addition, this relationship complements and enhances the work we are doing in the development of single-copy DNA probes.”

Enzo Biochem is engaged in R&D and manufacture of healthcare products based on molecular biology and genetic engineering techniques, and in providing diagnostic services to the medical community.

• Novadaq Technologies (Toronto), a developer of real-time imaging systems and image-guided therapies for the operating room, reported completing the purchase of all intellectual property, certain capital assets and inventory from Xillix Technologies (Richmond, British Columbia). Novadaq first disclosed the potential acquisition last month.

Assets purchased include an auto-fluorescence and multi-modal imaging portfolio of 31 patents and multiple pending applications in the U.S., Japan and Europe and licensed rights to certain fluorescence imaging technologies.

Novadaq paid Xillix C$3 million, of which C$1,075,000 was paid in cash and C$1,925,000 paid by issuing 224,883 common shares, for C$8.56 a share, the volume-weighted average trading price of Novadaq’s shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange for five trading days preceding the execution of the purchase.

Novadaq’s imaging platform can be used to visualize blood vessels, nerves and the lymphatic system during surgical procedures. Its SPY Imaging System enables cardiac surgeons to visually assess coronary vasculature and bypass graft functionality during open-heart surgery.

It also makes the OPTTX system, the HELIOS imaging system, and the LUNA Imaging System. Novadaq is also the exclusive U.S. distributor of PLC Medical’s (Franklin, Massachusetts) CO₂ Heart Laser system for Trans-Myocardial Revascularization, previously distributed by Edwards Lifesciences (Irvine, California).