Applied Gene Technologies Receives Patent; Tessera Array Technology Could Revolutionize the Way Diseases are Diagnosed, Monitored and Treated Around the World.Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers BIOWIRE2K SAN DIEGO--(BW HealthWire)--Feb. 26, 2001 Applied Gene Technologies Inc. today announced that it has received a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office The United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO or USPTO) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that provides patent protection to inventors and businesses for their inventions, and trademark registration for product and intellectual property (No. 6,187,566) for its Tessera(TM) Array Technology, entitled "Method of labeling a nucleic acid amplicon with simultaneous contamination prevention." Applied Gene Technologies is using its proprietary platform technology to develop novel nucleic acid-probe based diagnostics for infectious diseases and cancer. By employing innovative and proprietary nucleic acid binding ligands coupled with photochemistry photochemistry, study of chemical processes that are accompanied by or catalyzed by the emission or absorption of visible light or ultraviolet radiation. A molecule in its ground (unexcited) state can absorb a quantum of light energy, or photon, and go to a and luminescence luminescence, general term applied to all forms of cool light, i.e., light emitted by sources other than a hot, incandescent body, such as a black body radiator. techniques, the Tessera Array Technology has the ability to identify infectious agents in a fast, sensitive and reliable manner with minimal sample preparation, according to Nani Dattagupta, Ph.D., president and chief scientific officer of Applied Gene Technologies. "This patent is part of a growing patent portfolio for our core technology," Dr. Dattagupta said. "Initially, we will focus on molecular diagnostic assays to identify tuberculosis, sexually transmitted diseases Sexually transmitted diseases Infections that are acquired and transmitted by sexual contact. Although virtually any infection may be transmitted during intimate contact, the term sexually transmitted disease is restricted to conditions that are largely , hepatitis and HIV HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), either of two closely related retroviruses that invade T-helper lymphocytes and are responsible for AIDS. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the vast majority of AIDS in the United States. , collectively affecting more than two million people in the United States, and over 400 million worldwide. We will also focus on molecular diagnostic assays to identify leukemia and lymphomas, collectively affecting 100,000 individuals in the United States each year. Our diagnostics will revolutionize the way diseases are diagnosed, monitored and treated around the world." The Tessera Array Technology is a non-amplification process involving the labeling of unpurified Adj. 1. unpurified - not made pure impure - combined with extraneous elements nucleic acid samples with luminescent lu·mi·nes·cent adj. Capable of, suitable for, or exhibiting luminescence. [Latin l  men, l compounds followed by hybridization hybridization /hy·brid·iza·tion/ (hi?brid-i-za´shun)1. crossbreeding; the act or process of producing hybrids. 2. molecular hybridization 3. with probes for the detection of sequence of the target marker genes for infectious diseases and cancer. The labeling reagent does not affect hybridization and can be developed to be specific for target nucleic acids. The multi-array assay format allows for simultaneous diagnosis of multiple analytes from a very small amount of patient sample. "While the initial focus of the company will be to develop diagnostic products for infectious diseases and cancer, Applied Gene Technologies is actively pursuing corporate partnering opportunities to leverage its Tessera Array Technology in applications outside its focus," Dr. Dattagupta added. "Potential partners include life science and pharmaceutical companies and academia interested in developing this broad-based proprietary platform technology for drug discovery, agriculture, forensics, veterinary medicine and other research applications." The Tessera Array Technology can be adapted for a variety of delivery systems and formats including beads, dipsticks dipsticks absorbent paper strips impregnated with reagents for testing urine or other fluid for their content of electrolytes, other solutes and blood. The container is usually provided with a color matching scale so that a rough quantitative estimation can be made. , thin films, chips and other micro- or nano-particles, allowing its use to expand beyond diagnostic point-of-care to lab-on-a-chip applications, enhancing high throughput screening of chemical or biological libraries for drug discovery or genomic applications. Founded in 1998, Applied Gene Technologies is focused on revolutionizing the way diseases are diagnosed, monitored and treated around the world. The company is using its proprietary platform technology, Tessera(TM) Array Technology, to develop novel nucleic acid-probe based diagnostics for infectious diseases and cancer. The company has headquarters in San Diego. |
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