Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) today announced it has purchased the MassCode Tag technology from Eurofins MWG Operon, a division of Eurofins. The purchase includes the MassCode trademarks and intellectual property, including four families of patents. Agilent will use MassCode Tag technology to develop new research products for pathogen identification, leveraging its strength in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and mass spectroscopy. Under the agreement, Eurofins MWG Operon will continue as a supplier of the core component for the new products.
A fast, sensitive and inexpensive tool, MassCode Tags can be used to screen for specific pathogens that may be present in a biological sample. MassCode Tags are small molecules, each with a unique molecular weight. In MassTag PCR, individual tags are attached to DNA primers that correspond to microbial sequences. The primers are then used to amplify nucleic acid isolated from biological sample using PCR. The tags are released by applying UV irradiation, and mass spectroscopy is then used to identify the corresponding tags. The mass spectroscopy detection technique is highly multiplexed, faster and more sensitive than traditional detection technologies utilized for PCR analysis. Investigators at the Center for Infection and Immunity in the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, developed the MassTag PCR application.