As of July 12, 2002, Takara Bio Inc. (Otsu, President: Dr. Ikunoshin Kato) has signed a letter of intent for its alliance with Nanosphere Inc. (Northbrook, Illionis). In the alliance, Takara will have an exclusive right in Asia including Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and non-exclusive rights in European countries and Russia to distribute certain Nanosphere's products. Takara will grant to Nanosphere a right to use Takara's isothermal gene-amplification method ICAN^TM in Nanosphere's product development. Also in the alliance will be a joint development of high-sensitive and portable gene-detection systems utilizing both ICAN^TM method and nanoparticle DNA probe technology. Takara will also make an equity investment in Nanosphere.

Nanoshpere's proprietary nanoparticle DNA probe technology is a technology for high-sensitive detection of particular DNA sequences in samples using DNA probe attached with gold nanoparticle with diameter just around 15 nm. The detection method gives significantly higher sensitivity compared to conventional methods with fluor dyes. Applying silver enhancer with AgNO₃ and hydroquinone, the sensitivity can be improved further. This enables high sensitivity detections of target DNA sequences in samples without amplification by PCR. Another advantage of this method is that the melting temperature (Tm) of a hybrid between gold nanoparticle probe and target DNA is very sharp, and which makes this method suitable for SNPs typing, for example. Its first commercial products NIS2000, an equipment for gene detection applying the nanoparticle probe technology is now under development at Nanosphere.

Nanosphere is further developing conductivity measurement system using conductivity of gold and silver, that enables electrical detection of target sequences. Please refer to Nature 382, 607- (1996), Science 277, 1078- (1997), Science 289, 1757- (2000), Science 295, 1503- (2002).

Nanosphere (http://www.nanosphere-inc.com) is a start-up company established in 1998 by Professor C. Mirkin at Institute for Nanotechnology, Northwestern University, and Professor R. Letsinger, Professor Emeritus, Northwestern University. The company is granted from Northwestern University an exclusive rights for technology from Dr. Mirkin's and Dr. Letsinger's laboratories relating to biological diagnostics involving nanoparticles.

Please refer to the public announcement from Nanosphere Inc. at http://www.nanosphere-inc.com/news_publications/PR072202.htm.

This article is translated from news in Japanese for your convenience.