Roche agrees distribution deal for LightCycler Nano Instrument

Roche has agreed a new distribution arrangement for the LightCycler Nano Instrument, a new system for real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis.

The company has signed a worldwide exclusive original equipment manufacturer agreement with IT-IS Life Sciences to begin selling the device from mid-2011 onwards.

A 32-well format real-time PCR cycler, the LightCycler Nano Instrument is compact, silent and technologically advanced, utilising intuitive software and offering support for standardised PCR strips and all common detection dyes.

This completes Roche's portfolio of offerings for the low throughput real-time PCR systems market.

Gerd Haberhausen, life cycle leader for quantitative PCR and nucleic acid purification at Roche Applied Science, said: "Customers will love the smart design of the instrument and appreciate the high-quality data they can produce with it."

Last month, the company agreed a co-exclusive deal that will allow Lonza to distribute its MycoTOOL mycoplasma PCR assays for use in final release testing of pharmaceutical products.