Bio-Rad Seeking Established Companies in Specific Technology Areas

Bio-Rad is looking to partner with businesses owning technologies in fields related to cell and protein function analysis, gene expression, protein separation and analysis, and food safety.  Bio-Rad was founded in 1967 and develops equipment and technologies dealing with electrophoresis, DNA amplification, chromatography, imaging, gene transfer, microarray technologies, etc.  It currently has around 4,000 employees.

Next fall Bio-Rad will put together a partnering event to which selected companies will be invited to participate. Bio-Rad therefore wishes to gather the names of established companies (not universities nor research centers) which own such technologies, along with contact details and a brief profile. These will then be reviewed by Bio-Rad's partnering committee and the selected companies will be contacted for follow-up.

• High sensitivity multiplex analysis methods for proteins and nucleic acids (including single molecule detection)
• Monoclonal antibodies for the analysis of immune modulation, signal transduction pathways, cellular toxicity, and cellular differentiation.
• Novel reagents and associated analysis systems for cytotoxicity assays (e.g., apoptosis) cell proliferation and metabolic assays, and assays to determine mechanisms of action, including receptor binding, receptor activation, cell signaling, and sub-cellular localization.
• Methods for studying biomolecular interactions with the use of labels
• Computer science, latest thinking in computer/user interactions and instrument/user interactions.
• Protein identification methods beyond mass spectrometry.

• Improvements in sample preparation methods for RNA, especially very convenient ways to quickly go from cell culture right into real time PCR analysis.
• Novel enzymes with improved performance for PCR
• Nucleic acid binding or intercalating dyes that work better than SYBR green, or have different spectral characteristics
• Direct, quantitative measurement of RNA without real time PCR (methods must be sensitive and easy to perform)
• Reagents to improve translocation of transfected nucleic acids to the cell nucleus
• Novel reagents for gene transfer with minimal cytotoxicity
• Improved gene silencing technology

• Alternative protein tag - expression / purification systems
• New dyes and protein detection reagents
• New technology for protein quantitation in polyacrylamide gels and in solution.
• New technology for automation of electrophoresis including automated blotting

Food Safety

• Food Safety and Water testing
• BSE and prion detection and testing
• Bacterial , viral, toxins, allergen testing
• GMO-Testing

For more information please contact:

Carl Pilon
Trade Commissioner / Investment and Innovation
Canadian Consulate General in San Francisco
tel: 415-568-4322
fax: 415-834-3189
carl.pilon@international.gc.ca

Submission deadline: August 15^th 2006