Caliper Technologies Announces Issuance of a Patent to Fundamental Laboratory-on-a-Microchip Technology.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.--(BW HealthWire)--Sept. 17, 1998--Caliper Technologies Corp. announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO USPTO abbr. United States Patent and Trademark Office ) has issued U. S. Patent Number 5,800,690 covering an invention by 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. scientists that relates to fundamental elements of microfluidic technology. Caliper's proprietary LabChip(TM) technology platform functions like a "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 " in managing complex laboratory processes in a microchip. LabChip devices process fluids -- containing 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. , proteins, or cells -- like semiconductors process electrons, executing biological tests in seconds. Paralleling the electronics industry, in which a single integrated circuit replaced a room full of computing equipment, LabChip systems replace entire chemical laboratories. The issued patent, entitled Variable Control of Electroosmotic and Electrophoretic Forces in a Fluid Containing Structure Via Electrical Forces, covers the method for rapidly developing, linking, and controlling diverse laboratory functions (e.g. reactors, diluters, and separation systems) on a microchip. The invention enables easy development of LabChip devices in an analogous way to how high level programming languages permit users to develop their own software applications without being a microprocessor expert. This invention also reduces LabChip manufacturing costs. "This invention represents a major advance toward the rapid development and implementation of commercial LabChip devices," said Wally Parce, Caliper's vice president of research. "Iterations of LabChip-based applications that previously took months can now be done in minutes. This technology provides Caliper with the unique capability to deliver advanced LabChip systems to the marketplace." "The technology covered in our patent estate reflects Caliper's strong technology foundation in microtechnology Microtechnology is technology with features near one micrometre (one millionth of a metre, or 10-6 metre, or 1μm). In the 1960s, scientists learned that by arraying large numbers of microscopic transistors on a single chip, microelectronic circuits could be , engineering and chemistry," added Parce. "It offers our collaborators and partners the ability to participate in a breakthrough commercial space with a revolutionary set of discovery tools. These developments have profound implications in pharmaceutical research, bioanalytical research, medical testing and other fields." The new patent complements Caliper's internal intellectual property and its portfolio of exclusive licenses to broad patents from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is a multiprogram science and technology national laboratory managed for the United States Department of Energy by UT-Battelle, LLC. ORNL is located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, near Knoxville. , the University of Pennsylvania (body, education) University of Pennsylvania - The home of ENIAC and Machiavelli. http://upenn.edu/. Address: Philadelphia, PA, USA. , Northeastern University Northeastern University, at Boston, Mass.; coeducational; founded 1898 as a program within the Boston YMCA, inc. 1916, university status 1922, fully independent of the YMCA 1948. , Princeton University Princeton University, at Princeton, N.J.; coeducational; chartered 1746, opened 1747, rechartered 1748, called the College of New Jersey until 1896. Schools and Research Facilities , Harvard University and others. Caliper Technologies designs and manufacturers LabChip devices and LabChip systems that enable high-throughput screening and information access for faster drug discovery, improved medical treatment, and more accurate and cost-effective biological and genetic research. Caliper's microfluidic LabChip devices process fluid like semiconductors process electrons, executing biological tests in seconds. Experimental data, in digital form, can be stored in databases, accessed via networks and shared by researchers. With its ability to accelerate experimentation and expand access to information, Caliper's LabChip devices are dramatically changing the fundamental processes of research, discovery and diagnosis. Since its incorporation in 1995, Caliper has forged major strategic partnerships and expanded its intellectual property portfolio to become a leader in Lab-on-a-Chip technology. Caliper is commercializing its proprietary LabChip(TM) products through strategic relationships that include Hewlett-Packard, Hoffmann-La Roche and Dow Chemical. Information about Caliper's products and services can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.calipertech.com. |
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