IdentiGEN has patented a new chemistry based technology which can cut the labour cost of DNA testing by 60 per cent.

IdentiGEN is based in Dublin and offers DNA traceability services to major meat producers across the globe with offices and laboratories in Dublin, Wales, the US and Canada.

The company said that the novel chemistry based approach to genotyping that it has tested and validated brings major advantages over the market leading alternatives.

IdentiGEN Founder and Managing Director Ciaran Meghen said: “The new testing approach, for which patents have been filed, has been delivering transformational improvements in DNA sample analysis since it was put into production testing earlier this year.

"In particular the technology can reduce the labour cost of data scoring by more than 60 per cent. The experience within IdentiGEN’s own facilities has been a dramatic reduction in the cost of generating results.”

Mr Meghan said that the approach, called IdentiSNP, offers a clear alternative to the established approach and opportunities to commercialise the product are now being actively pursued on a global basis.

To support the development IdentiGEN has recruited experienced additional staff including molecular biologists and product managers.

“While this technology has transformed our internal cost base, and will support our continued growth and development in the area of animal and meat product identification in particular, the opportunity to promote our new formulation to a wider customer base is an exciting development for our business,” he said.

The new genotyping chemistry has been validated on multiple instrument systems including Douglas Scientific, LGC, Fluidigm and ThermoFisher systems.

A dedicated website www.identisnp.com has been launched which provides additional information and contact details. The project has been supported by Enterprise Ireland under its Research and Development grant scheme.