Nanosphere Inc., a company involved in the development and commercialization of advanced molecular diagnostics systems, has announced that it entered into a marketing and distribution agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. for markets in Germany, Austria, and France. Thermo Fisher, which services the science industry, has a portfolio of products for microbiological applications.

Nanosphere previously received the CE mark to sell the Verigene System and a number of assays targeted at the microbiology market segment, a rapidly growing field in which Thermo Fisher says it has established a significant market presence.

"The agreement will focus on Verigene products that provide rapid identification of infectious diseases and associated drug resistance, arming physicians and hospitals with clinically actionable results that improve patient care and reduce the cost of treating critical illnesses," said Paul James, Thermo Fisher's European vice president and general manager for microbiology. "We are excited to be working with the Nanosphere team to bring these innovative molecular diagnostic products to our customers for the first time. Together with our existing range of Thermo Scientific microbiology products, they provide a comprehensive solution to diagnosis of serious infectious disease," said James.

"Thermo Fisher's marketing, distribution and customer support expertise combined with the unique ability of Nanosphere's Verigene System to detect multiple targets in a single, automated test creates a significant competitive advantage in building a major presence in these key European markets," said Michael McGarrity, Nanosphere's chief commercial officer. 

With the commencement of this agreement, Nanosphere will possess distribution agreements in all of the major markets in Europe, a key step in its global expansion strategy.