Synthetic Genomics, Gen9 sign strategic licensing agreement for Febit intellectual property estate

Synthetic Genomics, Inc. (SGI), a synthetic biology company advancing and innovating genomic science and technologies for transformative products and solutions, and Gen9 Inc., a pioneer in synthetic biology and leader in the development of scalable technologies for synthesizing and assembling DNA, today announced a strategic licensing agreement to leverage their respective strengths in synthetic biology technology development and commercialization. The agreement provides Gen9 Inc. with a non-exclusive worldwide license to SGI's Febit intellectual property estate. The financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

In 2012, SGI purchased from Febit Holding GmbH the worldwide rights to three families of patents and patent applications related to key synthetic genomic technologies. All related know-how, equipment and technical support for implementation, were also purchased. This technology included methods for highly parallelized, low-cost oligonucleotide synthesis and retrieval of sequence-validated DNA. SGI has been using the Febit technology internally in development of key gene synthesis applications.

"We see great value in the Febit IP for companies like Gen9 to increase efficiencies in their manufacturing platforms for the benefit of their customers," said Nathan Wood, Synthetic Genomics Senior Vice President and President of SGI-DNA, Reagents and Instruments. "We look forward to working with Gen9 and with other companies who are interested in licensing this important family of synthetic biology technology patents."

"We are excited to announce this agreement with Synthetic Genomics. As we continue to develop novel applications that leverage our BioFab® platform, we are always seeking to identify new technologies and collaborate with innovative partners in the synthetic biology field," said Kevin Munnelly, President and CEO of Gen9.

SOURCE Synthetic Genomics, Inc.