SOLEXA SUBJECT OF LAWSUIT RELATED TO APPLIED BIOSYSTEMS PATENTS

Solexa, a firm that develops genetic research technologies, said Dec. 29 it had become aware of a lawsuit filed against it by Applera's Applied Biosystems Group in a California state court Dec. 26. Applied Biosystems develops diagnostics software and services.

The complaint alleges that one of Applied Biosystems' former employees, Stephen Macevicz, wrongfully took patents and inventions belonging to the firm and assigned them to Lynx Therapeutics, Solexa's predecessor company.

Lynx was originally a unit of Applied Biosystems but was spun out in 1992, according to Solexa.

The patents at issue relate to a technology called "sequencing-by-ligation," which is used in Applied Biosystems' SOLiD System, according to Applera.

"Solexa's new 1G Analyzer system uses a different technology, DNA sequencing-by-synthesis, which is not covered by any of the patents at issue in the suit," Solexa said. The firm "has no plans to use any of the sequencing-by-ligation technologies covered by the patents at issue in the suit." Applied Biosystems also "does not assert any claim for patent infringement in the suit," Solexa said.