DUBLIN, Calif., Sept. 17 CA-Microchip-Contract
DUBLIN, Calif., Sept. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Microchip Biotechnologies, Inc.
(MBI) has been awarded a $625,000 contract under the inaugural US Army
Commercialization Pilot Program for the development of a Universal Sample
Preparation Module (USPM). The Commercialization Pilot Program is a new
program to assist SBIR firms that have Phase II projects that meet high
priority Army requirements in transitioning to commercial products.
MBI's project will develop a Universal Sample Preparation Module that will
automatically purify DNA from pathogen targets contained in complex matrices
to provide samples for various downstream DoD-sponsored analytical platforms.
The USPM will enable front-end sample preparation with high specificity for
rapid detection, identification, and diagnosis of biological threat agents and
will be applicable to detecting pathogens for molecular diagnostics. Using
MBI's Microscale On-chip Valves (MOV(TM)) technology, the USPM will integrate
multiple sample processing steps in a small, universal sample preparation
module that integrates immunomagnetic separation capture with lysis and
nucleic acid purification.
"Easy-to-use sample preparation, under field conditions, has always been a
major obstacle to deploying back end pathogen detection and identification
devices as well as molecular diagnostics devices. The USPM will greatly
simplify this process and improve detection sensitivity," said Dr. Joanne
Horn, Project Manager, heading the USPM development at MBI.
About Microchip Biotechnologies Inc.
Microchip Biotechnologies, Inc. (MBI) is developing the Apollo
next-generation fluidics platform for Life Sciences, Applied Sciences, and
Diagnostics markets. The Apollo platform incorporates MBI's proprietary
BeadStorm(TM). bead-based sample preparation devices and patented "Microscale
On-chip Valves" (MOV(TM)) valves, pumps, and routers on microchips to
integrate, automate, and simplify workflows. The Company's first product, the
Apollo 100, integrates advanced microfluidic sample preparation to reduce the
cost of DNA sequencing. MBI is now adding analytical capabilities to Apollo
platform to create breakthrough sample-to-answer devices for biodefense,
DNA-based forensics and human identity (HID), and molecular diagnostics
applications. MBI is privately held and based in Dublin, California; more
details can be found on the Company's website:
http://www.microchipbiotech.com.
SOURCE Microchip Biotechnologies, Inc.
