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Global market for new technology HortResearch has licensed
Auckland-based Alphatech Systems Ltd to commercialise its plant
tissue disintegrator technology worldwide on an exclusive basis.
The technology was designed by scientist Mike Cook at HortResearch
Palmerston North, who received a Foundation for Research, Science
and Technology Enterprise Scholarship to assist with the costs of
research.
The disintegrator provides a fully automated way of grinding
plant tissue to release DNA for further analysis. HortResearch's
gene mapping laboratory had previously relied on a manual process
and automating the system increased capacity 90-fold.
Many laboratories around the world are involved in analysing plant
DNA but none of the existing plant-cell disruption systems is
directly interfaced to a liquid handling robot to allow full
automation of this time consuming process.
Alphatech Systems Managing Director Conway Bishop said, 'With
HortResearch we visited major plant genomic conferences around the
world to discuss the potential of this product and received a very
positive response. We anticipate that the DNA extraction system will
be sold throughout Europe, USA, Asia and Australia and we are
currently selecting our first international trial sites to further
test and refine the equipment. We expect to launch the product
worldwide in January 2005.'
HortResearch has also developed consumables kits to be used with the
new system and is discussing with Alphatech Systems how best to
commercialise these.
Paul McGilvary, HortResearch CEO said, 'This technology is a good
example of how New Zealand science innovation can make an impact on
the international marketplace through partnership with a New Zealand
company.'
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) funded part of the
development of the disintegrator prototype.
Source: HortResearch Media Release, 3 August 2004 |
