NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – UgenTec announced today that it has partnered with Hamilton Robotics as part of its new Molecular Automation Network, a consortium that plans to fix laboratories' automation issues by establishing partnerships between firms in the molecular diagnostic industry.
UgenTec said the network's ultimate goal is to facilitate the exchange of business and technical information between the manufacturers of automated liquid handling workstations, real-time PCR devices, software, and diagnostics.
Under the terms of their partnership, UgenTec and Hamilton Robotics will work together to develop new business opportunities, exchange technical expertise, and integrate their existing software and hardware systems. Specific financial and other terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
"Diagnostic companies are experiencing significant hurdles in adding PCR assays to existing and regulated PCR platforms, and even more in fully automating the end-customer's laboratory workflow," UgenTec CEO Steven Verhoeven said in a statement. "Therefore, we see a considerable interest with assay, hardware, and device providers to join the network. With our partners, we will be able to provide molecular laboratories with a flexible and extensible end-to-end automation solutions for qPCR testing."