Bio-Rad And Integrated Dna Technologies Collaborate To Develop Experimentally Validated SiRNA Duplexes

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (AMEX: BIO and BIOb), and Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc. (IDT), today announced a collaborative agreement to develop RNA interference (RNAi) tool sets for life science researchers.


Under the agreement, IDT's siRNA design and synthesis expertise will be paired with Bio-Rad's transfection and analytical competencies to deliver validated Dicer-Substrate 27-mer small interfering RNA (siRNA) duplexes for RNAi applications. Bio-Rad will experimentally validate IDT's potent Dicer-Substrate siRNA duplexes in live cells. This real-world validation, in addition to IDT's existing functional guarantees, will give researchers added confidence in their work and help them deliver results sooner.


"For biotech researchers this is an ideal pairing," said IDT President and CEO Dr. Joe Walder. "With IDT's Dicer-Substrate design delivering up to a 100-fold increased potency over 21-mer siRNA and Bio-Rad's validation ensuring efficacy in a live cell environment, researchers are free to get their experiments up and running in record time."


"Bio-Rad is always looking for new ways to help our customers succeed," said Bio-Rad Vice President and Group Manager Life Science Brad Crutchfield. "This collaboration will lead to products that will reduce uncertainty and allow researchers to spend more time focusing on their results."


Through the agreement, Bio-Rad is granted the exclusive right to sell IDT manufactured Dicer-Substrate siRNAs that it tests and validates. In addition, Bio-Rad and IDT plan to develop a series of control kits for use with IDT's TriFECTa Dicer-Substrate RNAi kits and Bio-Rad's validated siRNA duplexes.


About RNAi and Dicer-Substrate siRNA


RNAi is a major advance in genomic research that allows researchers to target specific genes and down-regulate their expression in living cells. The first generation of RNAi technology included the use of short-interfering RNA (siRNA) designed to bypass an intracellular process controlled by the Dicer enzyme. Later, it was discovered that optimizing RNA duplexes to act as substrates for processing by Dicer could achieve improved levels of RNAi-mediated gene knockdown at significantly lower concentrations than first-generation siRNA designs.


About IDT


Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc. (idtdna), is the largest supplier of custom nucleic acids in the U.S., serving the areas of academic research, biotechnology, clinical diagnostics and pharmaceutical development. IDT's primary business is the manufacturing of custom DNA and RNA oligonucleotides (oligos) for research applications. Founded in 1987 by Joseph Walder, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Iowa), Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc., has achieved annual double-digit growth over the past 10 years. Today, IDT synthesizes and ships up to 25,000 custom oligos per day, and more than 60,000 customers worldwide turn to IDT to fulfill their synthetic DNA and RNA requirements.


About Bio-Rad Laboratories


Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., is a multinational manufacturer and distributor of life science research products and clinical diagnostics. Based in Hercules, California, Bio-Rad serves more than 70,000 research and industry customers worldwide through a network of more than 30 wholly owned subsidiary offices. For more information, please visit bio-rad.


Various statements made within this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" for purposes of the Securities and Exchange Commission's "safe harbor" provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The forward-looking statements contained herein involve risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ materially from the Company's expectations.