Chiron Corporation and Infectio Diagnostic Inc. (IDI) announced that Chiron has licensed IDI's proprietary nucleic acid-based technology for the rapid detection of bacterial contamination in platelets and blood products. Under the terms of the agreement, Chiron will obtain a license to all current and future products for the detection of bacteria in platelets and blood for transfusion based upon the technology. In addition, IDI will transfer the technology including R&D and manufacturing to Chiron over the next two years. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

"The acquisition of this technology represent a significant step in expanding Chiron's commitment to blood safety," said Jack Goldstein, president, Chiron Blood Testing. "Rapid detection of bacteria in platelets is critical given the five-day shelf life of platelet concentrates. Bacterial contamination is the leading cause of transfusion-related illness, and successful development of a nucleic acid-based system that has the ability for same-day results, will provide the blood industry with an important tool in protecting patient health worldwide."

"IDI is very proud that Chiron chose our proprietary technology for screening bacteria in platelets," said Jean-Pierre Gayral, president, IDI. "We are confident in Chiron's ability to commercialize a very powerful same-day test for this critical blood safety concern. For IDI, 2003 has been an outstanding year with the commercialization of our first two products and the completion of this agreement with Chiron."

IDI's proprietary nucleic acid technology for universal detection of microorganisms is used to directly detect the DNA of bacterial species known to contaminate platelets. The technology is currently in development.

Bacterial contamination of platelets is the number one cause of morbidity and mortality from a transfusion-transmitted infection. It is estimated that as many as one in 4,000 transfusions lead to a severe septic reaction and as many as one in 17,000 transfusions can lead to death due to bacterial contamination. Platelets, which are used to treat patients with serious illnesses such as cancer and leukemia, are the blood component most vulnerable to bacterial contamination since they must be stored at room temperature to retain their blood clotting functions. The risk of receiving a bacteria contaminated platelet may be 50- to 250- fold higher than the combined risk of transfusion-related infections associated with HIV and hepatitis B and C. As a result, the American Association of Blood Banks has implemented a new standard requiring bacterial quality control testing of platelets starting in March 2004.

Infectio Diagnostic Inc. (IDI) is a privately held Canadian company. The company is specialized in the development of nucleic acid-based tests for the rapid detection of bacterial, fungal and parasite human infections as well as for the detection of antibiotic resistance.