In Brief: Chiron/Ciba

Executive Summary

Chiron/Ciba: Firms enter research collaboration with New York University for NYU's optical DNA mapping technology. Chiron and its 49% shareholder Ciba believe that the optical mapping approach "is dramatically faster than existing methods" and requires only "engineering advances in chamber design, streamlined image analysis and software programming in order to maximize throughput" in order to have commercial application for disease research and other uses. Chiron will have exclusive licensing rights to commercialize the technology. Ciba and Chiron both have other collaborations in the genomics field, with Ciba recently signing a $60 mil. agreement with Myriad and Chiron in the process of acquiring the gene therapy company Viagene ("The Pink Sheet" May 8, T&G-13)...