Dharmacon, Inc., the world's leading supplier of innovative RNA and RNA interference (RNAi) research products, and GE Healthcare have entered into an exclusive distribution agreement in Japan for Dharmacon's RNAi research products.

Under the terms of the agreement, GE Healthcare will be the sole distributor of Dharmacon's market leading RNAi products in Japan. Further terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

"As an innovator in the field of RNAi committed to expanding our global presence, it is fitting that Dharmacon is joining with GE Healthcare to distribute our products to the Japanese market," said Leland Foster, president and chief executive officer of the Biochemicals group of Fisher Scientific International Inc., which includes Dharmacon. "GE Healthcare is a major supplier of life sciences research products in Japan, and we are very pleased that their expertise and strong on-the-ground presence will be mobilized to support the growth of our RNAi product line in one of the world's most important research markets," he added.

GE Healthcare has wide-ranging expertise in medical imaging, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, disease research, drug discovery and biopharmaceutical manufacture and has a major presence in Japan. Its sales representatives and technical assistance staff will be trained to support Dharmacon's RNAi product line, which customers will be able to order directly from GE Healthcare, the release said here.

"GE Healthcare has built its respected position in the demanding Japanese research market by providing world class products and premiere customer support," Keiko Hattori, president of Japan for the Life Sciences division of GE Healthcare said adding, "By adding Dharmacon's leading siRNA technology to our product portfolio, we will address the growing demands of our Japanese customers for state-of-the-art gene silencing technology."