A PIONEERING bioscience company is set for huge growth after its sale to an American firm for £36m.

DNA Research Innovations (DRI), based on Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne, has been bought by the Invitrogen Corporation of California for $65m.

The Nasdaq-listed US giant bought DRI from Prelude Trust investors because of its global sales potential in DNA products.

DRI is a pioneer in the purification and extraction of DNA from cells.

Its forensic products are in demand by police and other law enforcement agencies. DRI has patented its trailblazing ChargeSwitch Technology.

The new owners have assured DRI’s 28 staff that their jobs are safe and that their future, certainly for the next two years, will remain in Sittingbourne.

Gregory T Lucier, Invitrogen’s chairman and chief executive officer, said: "Acquisition of this versatile technology is another step in our ongoing campaign to reinforce our position as the global research partner of choice, to accelerate drug discovery and development."

Dr Simon Douglas, DRI chief executive, welcomed the link with a global player.

"Invitrogen is one of the world’s leading life science companies and we are looking forward to benefiting from their extensive resources and global reach," he said.

He said that the Kent company was Invitrogen’s only research and development unit in Europe.

His team’s challenge was to deliver products to market and as that happened more jobs could be created.

He forecast that turnover would probably run into tens of millions of pounds within five years.

"The potential is huge, and that’s the reason why Invitrogen has paid that kind of price for it," he said.

"It’s good for the area, good for the sector, good for employment, and generally good for the whole Kent biotech arena."

Matthew Baker, a scientist from Maidstone, founded DRI and started working in a small laboratory at the former Sittingbourne Research Centre site in 1999.

He teamed up with Dr Douglas and they raised £3m from individual investors in 2000 to develop the idea.