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27 September 2022BiotechnologyStaff Writer

Bio-Techne takes patent dispute to UK

The lawsuit centres on patented molecular instruments | The patents-in-suit cover cover features of RNAscope tech.

Minnesota-based Bio-Techne Corporation has filed suit in the UK Patents Court against Molecular Instruments, accusing the Californian company of infringing its patented products.

In an announcement shared yesterday, 26 September, Bio-Techne said that its brand, Advanced Cell Diagnostics, owns patents covering various features of its RNAscope technology.

RNAscope Technology is an in situ hybridisation (ISH) assay for detection of target RNA within intact cells. According to its website, in 2011 Bio-Techne introduced RNAscope ISH.

“With over 40,000 unique RNAscope ISH catalogue probes available in over 400 species and fast, expert custom probe design, researchers have the flexibility to spatially interrogate any gene across a wide array of diseases and tissues with unparalleled sensitivity and specificity,” said Bio-Techne.

In its lawsuit, the Minnesota-based company accuses Molecular Instruments' HCR 3.0 technology of infringing its patents, numbers 2,500,439 and 1,910,572.

The ‘439 patent covers “kits and products for detecting nucleic acids in individual cells and of identifying rare cells from large heterogeneous cell populations”, while the ‘572 covers “methods of detecting nucleic acids in individual cells and of identifying rare cells from large heterogeneous cell populations”.

Bio-Techne is seeking damages and injunctive relief requiring Molecular Instruments to stop infringing the patents in the UK.

Chuck Kummeth, president and CEO of Bio-Techne, said: “Bio-Techne has made substantial investments in the development and application of its RNAscope technology to advance research discovery and accelerate diagnostic and therapeutic product development.

“Our intellectual property portfolio is foundational to our innovation in the spatial biology detection space, and we are committed to protecting these investments and defending our IP rights.”

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More on this story

Biotechnology
28 October 2015   There is “clearly a lot of unrest” in the patent law on molecular diagnostics, according to the head of licensing at Roche Diagnostics.
Americas
25 August 2016   Pharmaceutical company Pfizer has acquired AstraZeneca’s small molecule anti-infective business.