Takara Bio 将在亚洲分销Exiqon miRCURY LNA™产品

Exiqon and Takara Bio partners in the distribution of miRCURY LNA™ products in Asia

October 17, 2012 --- Takara Bio Inc. (Shiga, Japan) today announced that it has entered into a distribution agreement with Exiqon A/S (Vedbaek, Denmark) and will start to market its miRCURY LNA™ products from January 7, 2013. In addition to this new distribution of products, Takara Bio plans to launch contract research services utilizing Exiqon 's products in Japan on December 10, 2012.

MicroRNAs are single-stranded RNAs that are approximately 18 to 26 nucleotides in length, and play key roles in the regulation of gene expression which is essential for living organisms. miRNA research has received a lot of attention in recent years, and has been strongly promoted in the field of cancer research, stem cell research, developmental biology and neuroscience.

Exiqon has its own proprietary LNA™ (Locked Nucleic Acid) technology which makes it unique and puts it well ahead of its competitors. This technology platform offers global miRNA detection or expression profiling with unmatched specificity and sensitivity.

With the addition of Exiqon's competitive products, Takara Bio will continue to offer a comprehensive range of new and innovative products and services which will enhance the convenience of customers.


 

[ About Takara Bio Inc. ]

Takara Bio Inc. is an innovative biotechnology company based in Shiga, Japan. As a world leader in biotechnology research and development, Takara Bio was the first company to market PCR technology in Japan and is also the developer of the RetroNectin^® reagent, which is a world-standard in gene therapy protocols. In addition to providing research reagents and equipment to the life science research market, Takara Bio has active research and product development activities in the fields of gene and cell-based therapy, and agricultural biotechnology; and is committed preventing disease and improving the quality of life for all people through the use of biotechnology. Through strategic alliances with other industry leaders, the Company aims to extend its reach around the world. More information is available at http://www.takara-bio.com.

[ About Exiqon ]

Exiqon's products are based on the proprietary LNA™ technology. This technology offers unique advantages for detection of miRNA biomarkers for life science researchers, drug developers and cancer treating physicians working towards personalizing medicine. Exiqon operates in two business areas: Exiqon Life Sciences has established a position for itself as one of the market's leading providers of miRNA research products for miRNA analysis in cells and bodyfluids. Our research products are used by academia, biotech and pharmaceutical companies around the world to make groundbreaking discoveries about the correlation between gene activity and the development of cancer and other diseases. Exiqon Life Sciences is also collaborating with pharmaceutical companies in their effort to target new medicines based on miRNA as biological markers. Exiqon Diagnostics collaborates with pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies to develop novel molecular diagnostic tests for early detection of diseases which can help physicians make treatment decisions. Exiqon is listed on the NASDAQ OMX in Copenhagen. For more information about us, please visit http://www.exiqon.com.

This article is translated from press release in Japanese for your convenience.