Company Also Updates Progress at University of New Hampshire,
Cornell, And University of Louisville Beta Sites
WEST BRIDGEWATER, Mass., Sept. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boston Biomedica, Inc. (Nasdaq: BBII) today announced that it has released for sale the first product based on its patented Pressure Cycling Technology (PCT), a novel and versatile platform process that uses cycles of low and high pressures to control molecular interactions. The PCT Sample Preparation System (PCT SPS) consists of the Barocycler(TM) NEP2017 instrument and specially designed, multi-functional, single-use PULSE(TM) Tubes. Both the Barocycler NEP2017 and the PULSE Tubes will be manufactured and sold by Boston Biomedica.
Applications in Genomics and Proteomics
Studies of DNA, RNA, and proteins are currently conducted by tens of thousands of scientists worldwide. Their discoveries are used to develop new diagnostics, drugs and vaccines, and to advance knowledge in agriculture, forensics, bio-terrorism, and other important areas. However, before such studies can be carried out, the extraction of the DNA, RNA, and protein from the cells and tissues that harbor them is almost always necessary. Many sample types require very rigorous extraction procedures to release their cellular contents, such as mortar and pestle grinding, sonication, bead beating, and incubation with digestive enzymes. Such harsh methods are often manual, time consuming, cumbersome, and prone to cross contamination. In some cases, such as for the analysis of RNA and proteins, the extraction process itself may damage the material to be analyzed. The use of current methods on pathogenic specimens may also generate serious safety concerns, since extraction often takes place in an open system, or requires one or more sample transfers. Conversely, the PCT SPS offers a safer, more rapid, versatile, and powerful method for nucleic acid and protein extraction, and from a wider variety of biological materials. Data from a number of laboratory methods show that although the process is extremely powerful, it is concomitantly gentle enough to maintain the biological activity of proteins and the structural integrity of DNA and RNA.
The PCT Sample Preparation System
The PCT SPS is a novel and powerful alternative to the manual, and often inefficient, sample preparation methods used today, particularly those used for nucleic acid and protein release from difficult ("hard-to-lyse") biological samples (e.g., animal and plant tissue, insects, yeast, mycobacteria, and bacterial spores). The PCT SPS was unveiled in March at the PITTCON 2002 Meeting in New Orleans, where it was nominated by the PITTCON Editors for their prestigious "Best New Product" award. Since then, it has been featured in a number of industry publications, and the Company has received over 1500 requests for additional information.
Richard T. Schumacher, Founder, CEO, and Chairman of Boston Biomedica said: "This is a great day for all stakeholders of BBI, one we have looked forward to for several years. We believe that the PCT Sample Preparation System can significantly help a number of laboratories, especially those that have a real and unmet need for a rapid, powerful, versatile, and safe method for nucleic acid and protein extraction from "hard-to-lyse" biological samples. Using the PCT SPS, we are confident that genomics and proteomics laboratories worldwide may be able to increase their productivity, or get better quality results, or both."
Beta Site Testing
On June 14th, BBI announced the University of New Hampshire as the first beta site for testing the PCT SPS; since then, UNH researchers have been extracting DNA, RNA, and protein with the PCT SPS from a variety of organisms including microbes, worms, insects, and birds. Shortly thereafter, Cornell University was added as a beta site; there, scientists have been investigating the use of the PCT SPS in the study of plants. Dr. Susan McCouch of Cornell, a world authority in the field of rice genomics, has been using the PCT SPS for extracting DNA and RNA from rice for genetic analysis, and has reported excellent results. A PCT Sample Preparation System was also installed at the Hormone Receptor Laboratory, Brown Cancer Center at the University of Louisville, School of Medicine, under the guidance of its internationally recognized director Dr. James L. Wittliff, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University.
Dr. Wittliff commented: "Our group has found that the PCT Sample Preparation System effectively extracts both estrogen and progestin receptors (proteins) of excellent quality from samples, and that the receptors retain their biological activities following extraction. These are exciting results, since receptor proteins are inherently unstable, and current methods for their extraction can be time consuming, difficult, and inefficient. We are also assessing the use of the PCT SPS as a potential extraction method in the production of recombinant proteins in yeast expression systems for use in drug design, and in clinical studies of the gene and protein expression profiles of breast, endometrial, and ovarian carcinoma cells from tissue biopsies."
Boston Biomedica, Inc. provides products and services for the detection of infectious diseases such as AIDS and Viral Hepatitis. BBI has three operating business units: (1) BBI Diagnostics, an ISO 9001 certified manufacturer and supplier of quality control and diagnostics reagents used to increase the accuracy of in vitro diagnostic tests, (2) BBI Biotech Research Laboratories, a research and development center providing R&D support for the other BBI business units, as well as contract research and repository services for the government, industry and other third parties, and (3) BBI Source Scientific, an ISO 9001 certified manufacturer of diagnostic instrumentation and medical devices. In addition, BBI is conducting research and development in Pressure Cycling Technology (PCT) with the goal of introducing new solutions for a number of important healthcare issues in addition to sample preparation, including the inactivation of pathogens in human plasma, therapeutics, and vaccines; protein purification; food safety; and genomics and proteomics. BBI also maintains a passive investment in Panacos Pharmaceuticals, a privately held antiviral drug and vaccine development company spun-off from BBI in 2000, whose goal is to introduce new solutions for the treatment of infectious diseases.
Statements contained in this news release that state the Company's or management's intentions, hopes, beliefs, expectations or predictions of the future are "forward-looking'' statements. It is important to note that the Company's actual results could differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from those projected include the possibility that due to difficulties in the implementation of its commercialization strategies, Boston Biomedica may not be successful in selling its PCT Sample Preparation System to its target markets, and or in further developing Pressure Cycling Technology (PCT) into commercially viable products and services, including those in the areas of inactivation, purification, immunodiagnostics, genomics, and proteomics, or such activities may take longer than currently expected. Pressure Cycling Technology may also not be adaptable to any other commercially viable applications, certain Pressure Cycling Technology applications may not fall within the claims of the Company's eight issued U.S. patents, and individuals and groups utilizing such PCT procedures may not be required to license such technology from BBI. Additional information concerning factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements is contained from time to time in the Company's SEC filings, including but not limited to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2001 and the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31 and June 30, 2002. Copies of these documents may be obtained by contacting the Company or the SEC.
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Investor Contacts:
Richard T. Schumacher, CEO & Chairman
Kevin W. Quinlan, President & COO
Boston Biomedica, Inc.
508-580-1900 (T)
Media Contact:
Jennifer Viera
Schneider & Associates
617-536-3300 (T)
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SOURCE Boston Biomedica, Inc.
Web site: http: //www.bbii.com
CONTACT: Investor Contacts: Richard T. Schumacher, CEO & Chairman or Kevin W. Quinlan, President & COO, of Boston Biomedica, Inc., +1-508-580-1900; or Media Contact: Jennifer Viera of Schneider & Associates, +1-617-536-3300