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Virginia Tech Researchers and CBI Start-up Company Awarded Patent for New Biochip Methods & Devices |
Virginia Tech Researchers and CBI Start-up Company Awarded Patent for New Biochip Methods & Devices
Technology will reduce cost and complexity of performing genetic analysis FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Roanoke, VA (July 6, 2004) OptiMetric Technologies, a Carilion Biomedical Institute start-up company, has been awarded US patent number 6,706,479 for new biochip methods and devices that reduce the cost and complexity of performing genetic analyses. Unlike current biological assays, the advanced biochip products in development at OptiMetric have the potential to take genetic information to a new level of availability by eliminating the reliance on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for sample labeling and preparation. PCR is a molecular biological method for amplifying (creating multiple copies of) DNA without using a living organism, such as E. coli or yeast. PCR is commonly used in medical and biological research labs for a variety of tasks, such as the detection of hereditary diseases, the identification of genetic fingerprints, the diagnosis of infectious diseases, the cloning of genes and for paternity testing. The inventors of the technology are Dr. Ravi Saraf, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at Virginia Tech, and Sanjun Niu, Graduate Research Assistant at Virginia Tech. OptiMetric Technologies has an exclusive license from Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc to commercialize this intellectual property. The biochip technologies in development at OptiMetric can be deployed in a variety of formats ranging from micro and macroarrays to microfluidic and lab-on-a-chip devices. These technologies have the potential to accelerate clinical research by correlating individual genetic variability with diseases. In addition to their predictive value for diseases, genetic tests are being used in clinical trials to improve the drug discovery and development processes and to ultimately improve drug safety and effectiveness. “Actually with its affordability and accuracy in diagnosis, I would like to one day see this technology being used in doctors’ offices so that it can save lives,” states Mr. Niu. The chip is composed of polystyrene on silicone, the same materials that are used to produce styrofoam cups and computer chips. This low-cost polymer has a thickness of less than 1/1000th of a strand of hair and forms the active material that produces the desired signal in the biochip. Professor Ravi Saraf states, “The most exciting part, and the heart of the technology is replacing the very expensive fluorescent labels used in the current technology with ordinary polymers that are widely used and readily available. It is fortuitous that the materials that comprise a common styrofoam cup also happen to be fluorescent with exactly the same properties that our technology requires.” This is the first patent awarded to OptiMetric Technologies. Four additional US and international patent applications related to biochip technologies are currently pending. Research leading to these patents was funded by the Carilion Biomedical Institute, the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research. Dr. Saraf and Mr. Niu have been researching this technology for four years. ### Virginia Tech Chemical Engineering (www.che.vt.edu) Virginia Tech's Chemical Engineering Department serves its students, alumni, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the nation through a variety of academic, community services, and research programs. The Chemical Engineering Department educates the engineers of tomorrow by integrating classroom theory and practical hands-on projects, by emphasizing the process of learning and critical thinking, by conducting original research, and by promoting professional relationships among the university, the business community, and engineering colleagues. Carilion Biomedical Institute (biomedicalinstitute.org) is dedicated to improving the health and lives of people worldwide by partnering with scientists, researchers, and the medical and business communities to create major advances in healthcare. CBI fosters biomedical research at the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech and brings the most promising projects to market through a rigorous medical, financial, operational and market due diligence and connecting start-up companies to early stage venture capital. Early stage biomedical companies and entrepreneurs with a business plan or concept that are interested in investment should contact the Carilion Biomedical Institute at biomedicalinstitute.org. OptiMetric Technologies is a Roanoke/New River Valley company dedicated to bringing advanced diagnostic biochip devices into the practice of healthcare. OptiMetric Technologies has exclusively licensed their core technology from Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc. |