Domantis licenses novel PCR technology

Domantis, a UK-based company specializing in the discovery anddevelopment of drugs based on small antibody fragments (domain antibodies), has signed agreements with the UK's Medical Research Council that provide the firm with an exclusive commercial license to use a novel polymerase technology. Domantis says that this technology will accelerate the search for therapeutic polypeptides, including dAbs, and allow the development of better diagnostics and research reagents.

Polymerases are used in a range of applications including polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing, and the new technology enables scientists to select polymerases that perform orders of magnitude better than their natural counterparts, according to Domantis. It also supports the discovery of "designer" polymerases that are tailor-made for specific applications, such as faster and more sensitive methods for genotyping and clinical diagnosis, said the firm.