Diagnostic Products Corp. Receives U.S. Patent for New Point-of-Care Diagnostic Technology.

LOS ANGELES--(BW HealthWire)--April 13, 1998--Diagnostic Products Corp. (NYSE:DP) today announced that it has received notice from the U.S. Patent Office that the agency intends to grant a patent related to the Company's ImmuGold system, a new point-of-care diagnostic instrument that is designed to provide results in less than five minutes for medically important blood chemistry tests.

The ImmuGold system, which is planned for market introduction in late 1999, is capable of quickly measuring cardiac markers, cancer markers, antibodies, hormones, therapeutic drugs, drugs of abuse and other substances at infinitesimally small concentrations. The previously unavailable combination of speed and sensitivity featured by the ImmuGold analyzer is made possible by the new biosensor design disclosed in the patent.

"The technology platform of the ImmuGold system, and the patent we have obtained to protect it, are important for two reasons," said Michael Ziering, president and chief operating officer of Diagnostic Products.

"First, this technology will enable us to offer a point-of-care system that provides rapid, potentially life-saving results in emergency rooms and intensive care units. Second, we see the opportunity to integrate this technology with our high-throughput Immulite analyzers, which serve customers who require more and more rapid diagnosis and increased cost efficiency."

The Company's biosensor technology offers a number of advantages over current immunodiagnostic technologies. The total time to first result is less than 5 minutes. The assays are homogeneous, eliminating the need for a wash step, which is common to other immunoassay systems. The biosensor and all necessary reagents are included in a single, self-contained cartridge.

Finally, the hands-off nature of the technology makes it possible to design an inexpensive and simple-to-operate analyzer requiring minimal training.

Technology

The biosensor uses surface-plasmon resonance fluorescence (SPRF) to detect molecular binding as it occurs. It resembles a small lens with a layer of gold only a few hundred atoms thick on one side. The gold surface is coated with antibodies that capture the analyte being measured. The biosensor is activated by shining a laser though the lens and onto the underside of the gold film.

This excites high-frequency oscillations in the electrons of the gold, called surface-plasmons. Prior to detection, analyte in the patient's blood is immunochemically labeled with fluorescent molecules. When the patient sample is brought into contact with the biosensor, the antibodies on the gold surface bind with the labeled analyte.

As each molecule binds to the surface, its fluorescent label absorbs energy from the surface-plasmons. The energy is quickly released, creating radiative surface-plasmons that emit light from the underside of the gold. As more analyte binds to the surface, the surface-plasmon emission grows brighter. The concentration of analyte in the patient's blood can be determined by monitoring the rate at which light intensity increases.

Founded in 1971, Diagnostic Products Corp. (DPC) is the global leader dedicated exclusively to immunodiagnostic testing. The Company's product menu includes over 400 tests to measure microorganisms, hormones, drugs and other medically important substances present at infinitesimal concentrations in body fluids and tissues.

DPC also designs and manufactures automated laboratory instrumentation which provides fast, accurate results while reducing labor and reagent costs. DPC sells its products to hospitals, clinics and laboratories domestically and in over 100 foreign countries.

CONTACT: Diagnostic Products

Howard Wilson, 213/776-0180

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