Clontech Laboratories, Inc. releases TaKaRa Taq Hot Start Version GMP grade

GMP-grade polymerase now being produced by Takara Bio Inc. and sold by Clontech Laboratories, Inc.

Mountain View, CA—February 29, 2016—Clontech Laboratories, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Takara Bio Inc., today announced the launch of TaKaRa Taq Hot Start Version GMP grade, which is manufactured by Takara Bio Inc. in a state-of-the-art, GMP-compliant facility located in Kusatsu City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan.

"Clontech is pleased to provide, for the first time, a GMP-grade polymerase in order to serve our customers who require a combination of high performance and stringent specifications. TaKaRa Taq Hot Start Version GMP grade pairs our deep enzymology expertise with GMP compliance, bringing an added level of confidence and consistency" said Carol Lou, President of Clontech Laboratories, Inc. "We feel that offering GMP-grade products is a natural complement to our ongoing ISO 9001:2008 certification and our recently awarded ISO 13485:2003 certification, which recognizes Clontech's commitment to providing high-quality, innovative products and services and to maintaining high quality standards.

"TaKaRa Taq Hot Start Version GMP grade contains a mixture of Taq polymerase and a monoclonal antibody to Taq polymerase and is suitable for a variety of standard PCR applications. It is manufactured under rigorous standards to ensure high quality and consistency, in a facility compliant with GMP regulations and guidelines. TaKaRa Taq Hot Start Version GMP grade is also available in custom sizes and packaging.

About Clontech Laboratories, Inc.

Clontech Laboratories, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Takara Bio Inc., develops, manufactures, and distributes a wide range of life science kits and reagents under the Takara, Clontech, and Cellartis brands. Key products include SMARTer cDNA synthesis kits for a variety of samples and applications, including NGS; high-performance qPCR and PCR reagents (including the Takara Ex Taq, Takara LA Taq, Titanium, and Advantage enzymes); Cellartis stem cells and stem cell reagents; RT enzymes and SMART library construction kits; the innovative In-Fusion cloning system; Guide-it gene editing tools; Tet-based inducible gene expression systems; and Living Colors fluorescent proteins. These and other products support applications including NGS; gene discovery, regulation, and function studies; protein expression and purification; RNAi, gene editing, and stem cell studies; and plant and food research.

For more information, visit clontech.com.

About Takara Bio Inc.

Takara Bio Inc. is an innovative biotechnology company based in Shiga, Japan. As a world leader in biotechnology research and development, Takara Bio was the first company to market PCR technology in Japan and is also the developer of the RetroNectin reagent, which is used as a world standard in gene therapy protocols. In addition to providing research reagents and equipment to the life science research market, Takara Bio has active research and product development activities in the fields of gene and cell-based therapy and agricultural biotechnology; and is committed to preventing disease and improving the quality of life for all people through the use of biotechnology. Through strategic alliances with other industry leaders, Takara Bio aims to extend its reach around the world.

More information is available at takara-bio.com.

For further information, please contact:
Lorna Neilson, Ph.D.
Director, Business Development
Clontech Laboratories, Inc.
1290 Terra Bella Avenue
Mountain View, CA 94043
lorna_neilson@clontech.com
650.919.7372