Roche and Ionian Technologies Strike Product-Development Pact

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Roche Diagnostics will collaborate with molecular diagnostics company Ionian Technologies in an effort to identify new applications and customers for Ionian's technology.

Ionian said on Thursday that Roche will seek new opportunities for Ionian's NEAR Assay, a rapid isothermal nucleic acid amplification technology, in return for exclusive manufacturing rights if the new applications are commercialized.

Ionian's technology is aimed at applications in human in vitro diagnostics, food safety, biodefense, agriculture, and veterinary applications.

The San Diego-based company said that its technology enables DNA and RNA detection from bacterial or viral pathogens in less than ten minutes.

The collaboration will allow the company "to focus on its core strengths, including technology and assay development, while leveraging the business development, sales, and manufacturing expertise of Roche," Ionian's CEO Andrew Miller said in a statement.