PHYTOXIGENE™ IS A TRADEMARK OF DIAGNOSTIC TECHNOLOGY.

Diagnostic Technology is a privately owned Australian company based in Sydney with over 20 years experience in the development, supply, distribution and support of clinical diagnostic and life science products.

Since 2001 Diagnostic Technology has been a commercial and collaborative partner with Professor Brett Neilan and his team of scientists. For over 15 years the research was carried out at the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, University of New South Wales but more recently at the Neilan Laboratory of Microbial and Molecular Diversity, School of Environmental and Life Sciences at the University of Newcastle where Professor Neilan recently moved. For over a 15 years the group have been investigating the biological pathways for secondary metabolite production in cyanobacteria. Toxin production being essentially one of these secondary metabolites. In collaboration with Professor Neilan, Diagnostic Technology have developed molecular testing systems for the detection and measurement of the toxins produced from cyanobacteria in both freshwater and marine environments. From 2012 the company has extended its collaboration to include scientists at the University of Oslo and University of Technology Sydney (Associate Professor Shauna Murray) to identify gene targets specific to Saxitoxin producing Dinoflagellates, the cause of paralytic shellfish poisoning. These collaborations have resulted in the commercialisation of two unique environmental monitoring assays, the CyanoDTec and DinoDTec are the first gene based assays utilising biotoxin pathway genes to detect biotoxin producing algae and cyanobacteria.

Phytoxigene™  is the registered trademark for the range of molecular products that are the result of this research

Diagnostic Technology is the exclusive licensee of a series of patents related to this field.

PCT/AU2008/001805; Detection of hepatotoxic cyanobacteria

PCT/AU2012/000541; Cyanobacteria saxitoxin gene cluster and detection of cyanotoxic organisms

NewSouth Innovations Pty Limited

PCT/AU2012/000541; Detection of saxitoxin-producing dinoflagellates

NewSouth Innovations Pty Limited
Universitetet i Oslo

PCT/AU2008/000474; Methods for Producing Secondary Metabolites

NewSouth Innovations Pty Limited