EXIQON LAUNCHES MICRORNA DETECTION PRODUCTS

Copenhagen, Denmark- Exiqon today announced the launch of their miRCURY™ Detection product series for detection of microRNAs by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and Northern Blot analysis.

MicroRNAs are a newly discovered class of small (18-25 basepair) RNA molecules, which have profound regulatory effects on gene expression. Due to their short length, microRNAs have been notoriously difficult to detect since the use of long probes has been precluded. Using high-affinity nucleotide analogues, Exiqon’s miRCURY™ Detection probes have been designed to have very high affinity and specificity towards microRNA targets.

“Our miRCURY™ Detection probes have been tested by some of the leading researchers in the microRNA field, says Henrik M. Pfundheller, Director of Sales and Marketing at Exiqon. “With miRCURY™ Detection probes, they now see results that have been impossible with other products”.

“Exiqon's miRCURY™ Detection probes provide a real breakthrough for microRNA studies' says Dr. Ronald H. Plasterk of the Hubrecht Laboratory at Netherlands Institute for Developmental Biology, Utrecht, The Netherlands, and continues; 'The in situ results are spectacular! We have obtained highly tissue-specific expression patterns for most miRNAs in zebrafish”.

Exiqon is offering pre-designed and pre-validated miRCURY™ Detection probes for detection of all known microRNAs in vertebrates, invertebrates and plants. Later this year, Exiqon will launch additional products in the miRCURY™ family of products, including real time PCR based assays for quantitation of microRNAs, microarray products for microRNA detection and antisense molecules for functional analysis of miRNAs.

The market for microRNA is significant and is growing rapidly. This year alone, over 80 papers have published on microRNAs, and the field of microRNA-related research is expanding into areas such as viral defense mechanisms, cellular differentiation, cancer pathogenesis, diagnostics etc.

About microRNAs and LNA
MicroRNA is a form of single-stranded RNA which is typically 20-25 nucleotides long in its mature form. MicroRNAs are transcribed as longer hairpin-looped precursor molecules from DNA, and are processed by intracellular enzymes into its mature form. The function of the microRNA appear to be in gene regulation, where the microRNA can induce the “silencing” or physical degradation of messenger RNAs carrying a complementary sequence matching parts of the microRNA.

LNA™’s are a class of nucleotide (RNA/DNA) analogues that provide significantly improved sensitivity and discriminatory power to nucleic acid recognition assays in a format fully compatible with current molecular biology protocols. By including LNAs in microRNA detection probes, it is possible to design very specific high-affinity microRNA detection assays.

About Exiqon
Exiqon is a leading supplier of high-value gene expression analysis products for the life sciences, research and drug discovery industries. Exiqon’s rapidly growing product offerings integrate innovative chemistries with web-based software tools to help scientists achieve rapid and reliable results in real-time. Exiqon markets its products directly on www.exiqon.com or through distributors and partners its proprietary Locked Nucleic Acids (LNA) and Anthraquinone (AQ) technologies through industry leaders. Exiqon is located in the Medicon Valley area of Copenhagen, Denmark. Please visit our web-site at www.exiqon.com.

Publisher Contact Information:

Exiqon A/S
+45 (45) 66 08 88
sme@exiqon.com

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