Wageningen, The Netherlands
September 4, 2007
Keygene is pleased to announce that it granted an AFLP®
license to BCCM/LMG, located at
Ghent University, Belgium. Ghent University and Keygene
signed a five year non-exclusive license agreement that
authorizes BCCM/LMG to perform AFLP reactions on bacterial
species. AFLP is a DNA marker technology for genome analysis,
transcript profiling and genetic analysis, developed by Keygene.
The agreement includes the use of the AFLP trademark.
Furthermore parties agreed to resolve issues related to the
historic use of AFLP by the BCCM organization. BCCM intends to
use the license to extend its genetic database that was
constructed on the bases of the AFLP technology and to serve its
customers with AFLP typing of bacterial stains.
Mark van Haaren, Business
Development Manager of Keygene: 'This license agreement with
Ghent University emphasizes the strong position of AFLP as a
genetic identification tool. We are very pleased with the
agreement with Ghent University and intend to further promote
the use of our AFLP technology as well as newly developed
technologies under license'.
Prof. Paul De Vos, Director of the
BCCM/LMG Bacteria Collection and Senior Research professor at
the UGhent: In the early nineties, the Laboratory for
Microbiology has been involved in testing the AFLP technology
for microbiological identification purposes. The technology
allowed us to build a comprehensive and valuable database of
bacterial strains belonging to different taxa that is
instrumental in serving our customers with molecular analysis of
their bacterial strains.
The BCCM consortium,
financed by the Federal Science Policy, consists of four
complementary research-based service collections that have
joined their forces in order to preserve and use their
patrimonium of biological material and their related expertise
in the most optimal way. A coordination cell assists these
collections/biological resource centers to realize a common
strategy on the domains of bio informatics, quality management,
external communication and internal and external cooperation
projects. As a partner of the BCCM consortium, BCCM/LMG (located
at Ghent University) manages a collection of over 22000
bacterial strains combined with scientific expertise translated
in a range of services for identification and fine typing, to
the benefit of partners and clients in the academic, scientific
and industrial communities. The 3 other partners of the
consortium are: i) BCCM/LMBP (plasmids), ii) BCCM/MUCL (fungi
and yeasts of agro-industrial importance) and
iii) BCCM/IHEM (fungi and yeasts of biomedical importance)..
After more than twenty years of
uninterrupted growth, Ghent
University is now one of the most important institutions of
higher education and research in the Low Countries. Last year
Ghent University attracted over 28000 students and employed 6500
academic, research and administrative staff members. Ghent
University offers a broad range of study programs in all
academic and scientific branches. With a view to cooperation in
research and community service, numerous research groups,
centres and institutes have been founded over the years. Several
of them enjoy world fame, in various scientific disciplines such
as biotechnology, aquaculture, microsystems and optonics.
Keygene N.V. is a R&D
company with the mission to be the leading company in developing
and applying DNA expertise in the field of molecular genetics
for its shareholder breeding companies. Keygene has developed a
strong proprietary technology platform based on AFLP®, a DNA
marker technology for genome analysis, transcript profiling and
genetic analysis. For diagnostic purposes, SNPWave® a
multiplexed SNP detection technology was developed. Keygene
exploits its proprietary technologies, databases and know-how
through contract research and products for applications in the
Life Sciences industry and more specifically in innovative
breeding applications such as Breeding by Design™, CRoPS™ and
KeyPoint™. Keygene has five shareholders consisting of major
vegetable seed companies that collaborate in the BioSeeds
strategic alliance: De Ruiter Seeds, ENZA Zaden, Rijk Zwaan,
Vilmorin & Cie and Takii & Co. Keygene has around 100
researchers and staff.
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