Morewood Molecular Develops Novel Fluorescence Detection of Protein C Resistance.Business Editors/Health Writers PITTSBURGH--(BW HealthWire)--June 4, 2002 Morewood Molecular Sciences Inc. said it developed a simple, low-cost assay to detect Activated Protein C (APC (1) (American Power Conversion Corporation, West Kingston, RI, www.apcc.com) The leading manufacturer of UPS systems and surge suppressors, founded in 1981 by Rodger Dowdell, Neil Rasmussen and Emanual Landsman, three electronic power engineers who had worked at MIT. ) resistance in blood plasma using fluorescence detection methods. The novel technology provides data in concordance with the existing method of detecting APC resistance, known as the Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time Activated partial thromboplastin time Partial thromboplastin time test that uses activators to shorten the clotting time, making it more useful for heparin monitoring. (APTT APTT, aPTT activated partial thromboplastin time. APTT activated partial thromboplastin time. ) assay. Morewood said the use of a fluorescence substrate in its new method enables very simple, low-cost reactions with the potential to replace the existing clotting assay, which is costly, time-consuming, and complex. APC resistance is often implicated in thrombosis and a variety of pregnancy dysfunctions, including preeclampsia preeclampsia /pre·eclamp·sia/ (pre?e-klamp´se-ah) a toxemia of late pregnancy, characterized by hypertension, proteinuria, and edema. pre·e·clamp·si·a n. . Christophe J-P. Sevrain, CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Morewood, emphasized that the new assay may be combined with other fluorescence or color assays to created highly multiplexed clotting tests. "This aligns with Morewood's strategy to offer multiplexed assays for in-vitro diagnostics," Sevrain said. "The complexity of coagulation coagulation (kōăg'y  lā`shən), the collecting into a mass of minute particles of a solid dispersed throughout a liquid (a sol), usually followed by the precipitation or pathways creates the need for systemic approaches in blood diagnostics, for which this technology is highly suited." As previously announced, Morewood has developed a system for highly multiplexed assays of enzyme activity on the surface of a chip. Morewood has demonstrated the ability to conduct 5,000 assays in minutes on a one-by-three-inch surface using nanoliter quantities of reagent, without well plates or robotics. About Morewood Molecular Sciences, Inc. Morewood Molecular Sciences, Inc. is a private company developing novel assaying platforms for in-vitro diagnostics and for ultra high throughput screening of drug candidates. Morewood has operations in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. |
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