Caliper, Microcosm, and University of Washington Collaboration Yields $2 Million Dollar DARPA Grant for Lab-On-a-Chip Computer-Aided Design Tools Development.PALO ALTO Palo Alto, city, California Palo Alto (păl`ō ăl`tō), city (1990 pop. 55,900), Santa Clara co., W Calif.; inc. 1894. Although primarily residential, Palo Alto has aerospace, electronics, and advanced research industries. , Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 28, 1998-- FlumeCAD(TM) Project Responds To Industry's Needs For Rapid Prototyping Building a part one layer at a time using a method of additive fabrication such as 3D printing. Such parts are used for concept modeling to determine if the product design meets the customer's expectations. And Generation Of Advanced Liquid Integrated Circuit integrated circuit (IC), electronic circuit built on a semiconductor substrate, usually one of single-crystal silicon. The circuit, often called a chip, is packaged in a hermetically sealed case or a nonhermetic plastic capsule, with leads extending from it for Designs Caliper caliper Instrument that consists of two adjustable legs or jaws for measuring the dimensions of material parts. Spring calipers have an adjusting screw and nut; firm-joint calipers use friction at the joint to hold the legs unmoving. Technologies Corp., Microcosm Technologies and the University of Washington have been awarded a $2 million Defense Advanced Research Project Agency Defense Advanced Research Project Agency - Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA/ETO Composite CAD Program) Grant for the development of computer-aided-design (CAD) tools for the rapid prototyping and generation of laboratory-on-a-chip systems. In a fashion analogous to how CAD systems have accelerated computer chip development by leading semiconductor chip manufacturers, these CAD tools will allow highly complex and integrated laboratory-on-a-chip systems to be simulated and optimized on a computer prior to manufacture. Caliper will use these CAD tools in the development of its proprietary LabChip(TM) systems which function like a "liquid integrated circuit" and, by performing complex laboratory processes in a microchip, dramatically miniaturize min·i·a·tur·ize tr.v. min·i·a·tur·ized, min·i·a·tur·iz·ing, min·i·a·tur·iz·es To plan or make on a greatly reduced scale. min , automate and accelerate laboratory analysis. The grant titled: FlumeCAD: Integrated CAD for MicroFlume Components and Systems is funded by DARPA/ETO as part of their Composite CAD program to develop tools for the design of mixed technology systems. The FlumeCAD(TM) project is in response to the specific need to enhance industry's ability to build highly complex integrated fluidic flu·id·ic adj. 1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a fluid. 2. Relating to or controlled by fluidics. microsystems for on-chip detection and analysis of DNA DNA: see nucleic acid. DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid One of two types of nucleic acid (the other is RNA); a complex organic compound found in all living cells and many viruses. It is the chemical substance of genes. , protein, chemical, and environmental samples. These systems will have application in detection of chemical and biological warfare biological warfare, employment in war of microorganisms to injure or destroy people, animals, or crops; also called germ or bacteriological warfare. Limited attempts have been made in the past to spread disease among the enemy; e.g. agents in the field, as well as in ultra-high throughput screening for pharmaceutical drug discovery, genomics, biomedical research, clinical diagnostics, and environmental monitoring. Microcosm's existing product offering, FlumeCAD(TM) (Fluid-molecular CAD) was originally developed through the NetFlow project in DARPA/ETO's Composite CAD initiative. FlumeCAD(TM) is a powerful set of existing CAD tools for the design of micro-fabricated chemical transport systems with the goal of supporting general design of integrated chemical and biochemical analysis or synthesis systems. FlumeCAD(TM) is available today and currently supports 3D simulation of chemical transport in electrophoretic, electroosmotic, and pressure-driven systems. The announcement with Caliper Technologies, Microcosm, and the University of Washington represents a second DARPA/ETO Composite CAD program, which will extend FlumeCAD(TM) into many new application areas. This includes time domain system level simulation capabilities for microfluidics, design optimization, and design differentiation between architectural alternatives. Further, it will facilitate co-design and co-simulation of microfluidic systems with components from both the IC (Integrated Circuit) and MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems) Tiny mechanical devices that are built onto semiconductor chips and are measured in micrometers. In the research labs since the 1980s, MEMS devices began to materialize as commercial products in the mid-1990s. (MicroElectroMechanical Systems) domains. The software developed under this program will be offered commercially through Microcosm. "Interest in complex on-chip biochemical systems, for both hand-held and massively parallel applications is rising," said John Gilbert, Microcosm's CTO (Chief Technical Officer) The executive responsible for the technical direction of an organization. See CIO and salary survey. . "Caliper Technologies and other leading companies in this space are pressing us to deliver the same level of CAD support to the biochip biochip Small-scale device, analogous to an integrated circuit, constructed of or used to analyze organic molecules associated with living organisms. One type of theoretical biochip is a small device constructed of large organic molecules, such as proteins, and capable of industry that the IC industry depends on for every chip design. FlumeCAD(TM) will enable this industry to create systems of hundreds to thousands of components and process steps, while meeting demanding time-to-market and reliability requirements." Caliper Technologies will be collaborating with Microcosm Technologies, a leading supplier of CAD software for the development of MEMS devices, and the laboratory of Dr. Fred Forster at the University of Washington to develop these powerful CAD tools that will allow laboratory-on-a-chip developers to progress from a concept to a working prototype in a few days. According to Dr. Wally Parce, Caliper's Vice President of Research, "When combined with our proprietary design rules and LabChip(TM) platform, these tools will allow us and our commercialization partners to develop new LabChip(TM) systems and introduce them to the market much more rapidly." Company Background -- Caliper Technologies Caliper Technologies Corp. (Palo Alto, CA) is a bioinformation company applying its proprietary LabChip(TM) expertise to the development of leading edge products, services and information. With its laboratory-on-a-chip technology, Caliper's LabChip(TM) dramatically expands access to chemical and biochemical data. Caliper focuses on research and development in the core areas of microfluidics microfabrication, and microscale chemical, biochemical, and biological assays, enabling its LabChip(TM) platform to support a range of products and applications in drug discovery, bioanalytical research, and medical diagnostics. It is commercializing these advances through value added Value Added The enhancement a company gives its product or service before offering the product to customers. Notes: This can either increase the products price or value. strategic relationships with corporate partners. Information about Caliper's products and services can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.calipertech.com. Company Background -- Microcosm Technologies, Inc. Microcosm Technologies, Inc. (Raleigh, NC) was established in 1995 to develop and market MicroElectro-Mechanical System (MEMS) CAD software and services, which address device design, manufacturing analysis, and system integration. The company also offers value added MEMS engineering and modeling services. The company has licensed core technology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology, at Cambridge; coeducational; chartered 1861, opened 1865 in Boston, moved 1916. It has long been recognized as an outstanding technological institute and its Sloan School of Management has notable programs in business, (MIT MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology ) and has engaged in $4.5 million of collaborative development efforts with industry, academia, and DARPA DARPA: see Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) The name given to the U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency during the 1980s. It was later renamed back to ARPA. . FlumeCAD(TM) leverages the software code base from MEMCAD 4.0 and targets the rapidly emerging requirements for flow, chemical transport, and containment analysis of complex fluidic microfluidics networks for the "lab-on-a-chip" market. Microcosm has offices and support staff in Cambridge, MA; San Mateo, CA; Amsterdam, Netherlands and its headquarters in Raleigh NC. Microcosm is privately held. Microcosm's web site can be found at: http://www.memcad.com.
CONTACT: Caliper Technologies Corp.
Michael R. Knapp, Ph.D., 650/842-0700
http://www.calipertech.com
or
Microcosm Technologies, Inc
Dave Cook, 919/854-7500, ext. 105
davec@memcad.com
or
Market Relations Group
Renee Dorrell, 650/354-4485
renee_dorrell@marketrelations.com
or
Roger Grace Associates
Roger Grace, 415/436-9101
rgrace@value.net
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion