IVD Technology Magazine
IVDT Article Index

Originally published May, 1998

IVD Technology News

Disease genes can't hide from new assay

New genetic disease markers are being found everyday. Now, Cygene, Inc. (Alachua, FL), says that it has developed a breakthrough technology to help researchers exploit the diagnostic and clinical potential of this growing genetic library.

Although polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is today's gold standard, it has a limited ability to detect the trace amounts of disease-related nucleic acids that occur in the early stages of infection or disease. Cygene's new target protection assay (TPA) solves this "needle in a haystack" problem by burning the haystack. Using triplex oligoprobes and specific nucleases, the assay digests most of the unwanted DNA or RNA. What is left is the target sequence, which can then be detected by more-conventional reporter probes.

Martin Munzer, Cygene vice president, says that TPA has widespread possibilities in many industries and that the company is actively seeking licensees to develop the technology. —G.W.