CINCINNATI, Sept. 26, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Meridian Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIVO) today announced it has completed an amendment to the license agreement with Eiken Chemical Co., Ltd., Japan, for its “LAMP” (Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification) technology for the expanded areas of animal, food and water testing. The LAMP technology is a leading nucleic acid amplification method that is simple to perform, rapid, highly specific and performed at a single temperature. Unlike other amplification methods, no specialized equipment is necessary to perform the test or to determine the final result. Results are typically obtained one hour after the start of the test. The expanded license agreement allows Meridian to apply the LAMP technology for the detection of infectious agents which cause disease in animals or that are present as contaminants in food or water.
Meridian first licensed the LAMP technology from Eiken in 2006 for the newly emerging infectious disease market in humans and to build the foundation for an expanded product platform in molecular diagnostics. Utilizing the LAMP technology, Meridian commercialized the first human infectious disease assay, illumigene® C. difficile, in 2010 and provided to its customers a simple and accurate test result without the need for capital investment in equipment. Since then, Meridian has developed and commercialized a broad menu of simple and accurate molecular tests for Group A Streptococcus, Group B Streptococcus, HSV 1&2, Pertussis, and Mycoplasma Direct in the United States as well as Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and Malaria outside of the U.S. Meridian will continue to develop the illumigene menu of simple and highly accurate tests for the human infectious disease market as it seeks new development opportunities and partners in the animal and food testing markets.
Richard L. Eberly, President, Chief Commercial Officer, commented, “We are delighted to announce our expanded agreement with Eiken Chemical to utilize the LAMP technology for the molecular detection of infectious agents in animals, food, and water. The LAMP technology has enabled Meridian to deliver consistent innovation and build market share leadership in human molecular diagnostics. We are committed to growing our presence in the clinical market by expanding the illumigene test menu while exploring new opportunities in the veterinary, food and water testing markets.”
“Meridian’s success of the illumigene line of products proved that the LAMP technology has great advantages for human molecular diagnostics applications. We are pleased to sign an amendment to expand the field of use and look forward to further contributions of our technology to animal diagnostics and food and water testing,” said Morifumi Wada, President and Chief Executive Officer of Eiken.
About Eiken Chemical
EIKEN CHEMICAL CO., Ltd., was established in 1939 and was the first Japanese company to successfully commercialize the manufacture of powdered culture media for microbiological investigations. The company has established itself as a leader in the clinical diagnostics market, and has a strong commitment to research and development toward products and technologies that fulfill needs at the cutting edge of contemporary medicine. The LAMP technology, developed at EIKEN in 1998, is now a core technology being exploited to develop a range of products. Read more at www.eiken.co.jp/en/index.htm.
About Meridian Bioscience, Inc.
Meridian is a fully integrated life science company that develops, manufactures, markets and distributes a broad range of innovative diagnostic test kits, purified reagents and related products and offers biopharmaceutical enabling technologies. Utilizing a variety of methods, these products and diagnostic tests provide accuracy, simplicity and speed in the early diagnosis and treatment of common medical conditions, such as gastrointestinal, viral and respiratory infections and blood lead levels. Meridian’s diagnostic products are used outside of the human body and require little or no special equipment. The Company's products are designed to enhance patient well-being while reducing the total outcome costs of health care. Meridian has strong market positions in the areas of gastrointestinal and upper respiratory infections; serology, parasitology and fungal disease diagnosis, and blood lead level testing. In addition, Meridian is a supplier of rare reagents, specialty biologicals and related technologies used by biopharmaceutical companies engaged in research for new drugs and vaccines. The Company markets its products and technologies to hospitals, reference laboratories, research centers, diagnostics manufacturers and biotech companies in more than 70 countries around the world. The Company’s shares are traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, symbol VIVO. Meridian's website address is www.meridianbioscience.com.