Gyros AB, the leading provider of automated micro-immunoassays for therapeutic protein development, announced the signing of a distribution agreement with DI Biotech, the leading supplier to the Korean life-science market. Under the terms of the agreement, DI Biotech will market and provide full support for Gyros' proprietary technology, Gyrolab, to the Korean pharmaceutical, biotech, CRO and CMO industries.

Gyrolab has rapidly become established as the preferred technology for high-performance immunoassays for the development of biotherapeutics. The technology is increasingly employed by leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies, and their contracted service organizations, in their drug development process and clinical trials, in both Europe and the USA. As a result of this success, the company has now decided to expand its business into Asia, with Korea as its initial market.

"We are very happy to have DI Biotech representing our products in the Korean market,” states Erik Walldén, CEO and president of Gyros. "It's an organization with longstanding experience, presence, and a solid position as a leading supplier of high-tech tools to the biotech market. Korea is committed to the growing biotherapeutics development segment and we are looking forward to supplying enabling technology to various ongoing initiatives in the country," he concludes.

S E Kim, CEO and president at DI Biotech said, "We have already tested the market for Gyrolab in Korea, and the response was immediate and positive, which was very encouraging. The benefits that Gyrolab provides are recognized in all sectors of pharmaceutical development, as well as in government-funded institutes. Pharma, biotech and especially, the fast-growing CRO and CMO companies, all see possibilities, to not only ramp-up productivity, but also to boost their competitiveness. The financial standing of these industries was already strong, and coupled with the Korean government's recent investment of the equivalent of 90 million EUR, to further propel the development of biotherapeutics within the 'SMART project', we are extremely optimistic about the rapid uptake and implementation of Gyrolab in Korea."

Gyros is the world leader in automated micro-immunoassays for therapeutic protein development.

Gyrolab, the company's automated and open platform, is a versatile analytical tool that dramatically reduces the time required to optimize and execute immunoassays.

DI Biotech was spun off from Pharmacia Biotech Korea and in 1997 became established as an affiliated company of DI Corp, which is listed on the Korean Stock exchange.