ERDF & YF spearhead DNA Anti-Counterfeit Program

10 Aug '09

4 min read

Applied DNA Sciences Inc announced that its SigNature DNA Anti-Counterfeit technology has been selected as the sole security platform in a program funded by the European Regional Development Fund (a fund allocated by the European Union) and Yorkshire Forward. SigNature DNA applications will include the protection against counterfeiting and diversion of UK manufactured textiles from "fiber to fabric." The program will protect products from other industries as well.

APDN is one of four innovative platform technologies chosen to help accelerate the Yorkshire and Humber region's expertise in areas of growing market demand and economic importance. The other three technologies are not related to security.

"The SigNature DNA Anti-Counterfeit program was selected because it offers immediate and significant competitive advantage to the Yorkshire's high quality textile manufacturers. The public funding contribution to the Program is significant, equating to over £1 million for each of the activity areas including the APDN Anti Counterfeiting activity. This contribution is designed to generate significant additional investment from the private sector which should generate at least £2 million in each activity area over the lifetime of the Program," stated Bill Macbeth, Managing Director, Textile Centre of Excellence.

Based on the successful completion of its Trial UK Textile contract that was completed in December 2008, this extends APDN's current collaborations with Yorkshire and the Humber-based companies as part of a three-year, £5.95 million (USD$9 million) contract funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Yorkshire Forward with the Textile Centre of Excellence and Leeds University's Centre for Technical Textiles. In addition, capital equipment allocations for a DNA Authentication facility located in Huddersfield are expected to be about £250,000 (USD$400,000). APDN will rent the entire facility from the Textile Centre of Excellence. Duplicating the contract process followed in the successful Trial Contract, the formal service contract between APDN and the Textile Centre is expected to be executed by September.

The DNA Anti-Counterfeit program will support pilot studies and commercial scale-up of APDN's SigNature DNA taggants. It is anticipated that the multi-year program will fund approximately 20 projects per annum. In the first year, more than 25 commercial partners have already been identified. APDN expects the financial implications to be multifaceted. The company has already begun coordinating supply arrangements with several collaborators in Yorkshire, including Addmaster and Nilorn UK.

"Yorkshire Forward is very pleased to invest in new platform technologies that will foster growth and, ultimately, reap positive economic benefits to the Yorkshire business community, and the UK and European public at large. SigNature DNA is a true platform technology that has exciting and practical applications that extend to multiple industry sectors," added Jim Farmery, Yorkshire Forward.

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