Singapore, May 19, 2009: ZyGem, a provider of enzyme-based products for DNA extraction and other life sciences applications, has entered into a number of new agreements that strengthen its market presence in the Asia Pacific region. These include distribution agreements for its innovative DNA extraction kits in China and South Korea and partnerships in New Zealand and parts of Australia to broaden the company’s product offerings in its home market.

These new agreements is said to build on the early success of ZyGEM’s recent major distribution agreements for its DNA extraction kits in the Americas and Europe with a leading life science products distributor.

“ZyGEM’s recently announced distribution agreements for our DNA extraction kits in the Americas and Europe provide us with an exceptionally strong distribution channel in the northern hemisphere, and this is already starting to pay dividends in terms of revenues and market penetration,” said Mr Paul Kinnon, CEO of ZyGEM. “These agreements also give us an ideal channel to promote ZyGEM’s planned new products as they are released over the course of the year.”

According to the company, these new agreements include exclusive distribution rights for ZyGEM’s full line of DNA extraction kits—in China, through Shanghai Sangon Biological Engineering Technology & Services and in South Korea, through SolGent. In addition, in New Zealand and certain parts of Australia, ZyGEM is now co-distributing custom oligonucleotides from Integrated DNA Technologies, PCR reagents from Quanta Biosciences, sample storage products from Biomatrica, and laboratory microplates from Porvair Sciences.

Mr Kinnon continued, “The next phase of our global distribution is coming together nicely, with today’s announcement of exclusive strategic distribution agreements for our DNA extraction products in the Asia Pacific region, with strong partners in China and South Korea now giving us a major presence in many of the key life sciences hubs and emerging markets worldwide.”

ZyGEM’s technology uses a proprietary thermophilic enzyme to extract DNA from samples using a single closed-tube system. ZyGEM’s approach significantly reduces the time and cost of DNA extractions while simplifying laboratory workflow, minimizing error, reducing the risk of contamination, ensuring sample integrity and facilitating extractions from trace samples.