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Contact:
Melissa Katsimpalis
XY Inc.
970-484-7500
mkatsimp@isispr.com
André Barnabé, general manager
L’Alliance Boviteq Inc.
450-774-7949
barnabea@boviteq.com
XY INC. AND L’ALLIANCE BOVITEQ SIGN DEAL
TO COMMERCIALIZE BOVINE SEXED SPERM
FORT COLLINS, COLO-- XY Inc. and L’Alliance Boviteq today announced
the signing of a commercial license agreement to apply XY® sex-selection
technology to the Canadian cattle industry.
XY® sex-selection technology is the only proven method to reliably
sort sperm of various mammals to pre-select the sex of offspring with
a success rate of 90 percent or better. The method may be readily combined
with standard breeding techniques used by the worldwide cattle industry.
XY Inc. is a global biotech company headquartered in Fort Collins, Colo.
It is the only company in the world to develop and commercialize sex
selection for all relevant non-human mammals. Already, thousands of
successful and healthy pregnancies in cows, horses, pigs and sheep have
occurred worldwide, using the XY® sex-selection technology.
L’Alliance Boviteq is a private research and development center
that focuses on bovine reproductive technologies and genetics. It specializes
in the production of bovine embryos using in vivo and in vitro technology.
“XY Inc. is excited about this agreement,” said Dr. Mervyn
Jacobson, chief executive officer and president of XY Inc. “It
is the first license granted to a large Canadian bull stud and focuses
on making the XY® sex-selection technology available to Canadian
dairy and beef breeders in combination with a very impressive line-up
of proven bulls and young sires.”
Under the agreement, L’Alliance Boviteq will establish a new laboratory
operation in St.Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada, where XY Inc.’s sophisticated
equipment and sperm-sorting techniques will be used.
The non-exclusive license will allow L’Alliance Boviteq to research,
produce and commercialize bovine sexed sperm and sexed embryos to be
distributed through Semex Alliance distributors and partners, first
in Canada and then globally.
Semex Alliance develops and markets high-quality genetic technologies,
products and services to benefit livestock producers around the world.
“We believe L’Alliance Boviteq, together with Semex Alliance,
will be able to build a solid global offering of sexed bull sperm,”
Dr. Jacobson added.
“The combination of this unique sex-selection procedure with other
technological services of L’Alliance Boviteq will add more depth
to our innovative reproductive technologies,” said André
Barnabé, general manager of L’Alliance Boviteq Inc. “L’Alliance
Boviteq and L’Alliance Semex are committed to being part of dairymen’s
breeding strategies. Through our research and development investments
and efforts, we continue to bring new innovative ideas, services and
products to improve productivity and competitiveness in the industry,”
Barnabé explained.
L’Alliance Boviteq plans to market sexed semen through Semex Alliance
by the end of 2005.
For more information about XY® sex-selection technology, call:
970-493-3113; or email: info@xyinc.com
XY INC.
XY Inc., a global biotech company headquartered in Fort Collins, Colo.,
holds exclusive global rights to intellectual property for sperm sorting
by flow cytometry in all non-human mammals. XY® sperm-sorting
technology separates sperm that carry the X chromosome and produce females
from sperm that carry the Y chromosome and produce males. (www.xyinc.com.)
Sperm sorting is one of the world's most promising biotech industries.
BOVITEQ:
L’Alliance Boviteq is a private research and development center
focusing on bovine reproductive technologies and genetics. (www.boviteq.com.)
The Semex Alliance is a partnership of the Canadian insemination cooperatives:
Westgen, Centre d’insémination artificielle du Québec
(CIAQ), eastern Breeders Inc. (EBI) and Gencor. Semex Alliance is focused
on global leadership in the livestock genetics marketplace. (www.semex.com.)