Syngenta continues contract with biomarker research firm Metabolon

Metabolon, the pioneering leader in metabolomics-driven biomarker discovery and analysis, announced today that it has renewed a multi-year agreement with Syngenta, a world leading global agribusiness. Through this agreement, Metabolon will continue to provide Syngenta broad access to its biochemical profiling technology for use in agricultural applications. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Metabolon has extensive experience in rapidly profiling the biochemistry of plants. This metabolomics-driven approach enables the identification of biomarkers useful for the development of a wide range of diagnostics and provides insight into complex biochemical processes.

“We are delighted to continue our partnership with Syngenta, a leader in seed biotechnology and crop protection products,” said John Ryals, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Metabolon. “This agreement signifies not only the value our biochemical analysis and expertise brings to our collaborators, but also our commitment to helping our partners in pharmaceutical, biotechnology and consumer products sectors meet their own business objectives.”

“Metabolon brings us key information that helps facilitate decision-making in R&D for developing new products,” said Michiel van Lookeren Campagne, Head of Biotechnology at Syngenta. “As Syngenta works to bring new technology to the market for our customers, these insights are increasingly important.”

Metabolon, Inc. has advanced the field of metabolomics by pioneering and patenting the industry’s leading biochemical biomarker discovery and profiling platform. It has developed the technology to quickly identify and measure all of the biochemicals in a biological sample through its proprietary global processing method. Through the generation and interpretation of data, this method provides a precise understanding of disease etiology and drug action, and advances personalized medicine beyond what genomics and other approaches can promise. Metabolon’s expertise is being embraced by a wide range of pharmaceutical, biotechnology, food and agricultural companies. Metabolytics, its biomarker discovery and analysis business, has completed over 500 client studies and processed over 50,000 samples for customers in 2011 alone. Building on its expertise in biochemistry understanding, Metabolon is also developing proprietary diagnostic tests to determine and track disease progression.