Company Will Describe New Products and Services to Facilitate the Development of WNV Blood Donor and Laboratory Tests, Including QC Panels, Controls, a WNV
RNA Research Test, and the PCT Sample Preparation System
WEST BRIDGEWATER, Mass., Nov. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Boston Biomedica, Inc. (Nasdaq: BBII) today announced that the Company's
Senior Vice President of R&D, Dr. Mark M. Manak, will present data on BBI's
West Nile Virus program at a special two day workshop that begins today in
Bethesda, Maryland on the Development of Donor Screening Assays for West Nile
Virus
. This public workshop is being sponsored by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), in cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), the Health Resources Services Administration, and the
National Institutes of Health (NIH). Many of the country's top experts in
West Nile Virus are expected to attend and participate, including those from
blood donor organizations, public health, academia, industry, and government.
Dr. Manak will present information and data on the progress of Boston Biomedica's program in West Nile Virus diagnostics, including the development of quality control products the Company feels will benefit scientists and organizations working on the development of tests for the detection of WNV in blood donor samples. A decision to screen the nation's blood supply could be made in the near future.
Because we began our R&D efforts in West Nile Virus earlier than many
others, we are one of the few laboratories in the country with a working test
for WNV nucleic acid (RNA),
commented Dr. Manak. Our test is sensitive and
specific, and has already played a major role in the development of several QC
products for WNV RNA that we expect to release commercially by mid-November.
These products, a Sensitivity Panel and an ACCURUN Control for WNV RNA, will
be helpful to those developing, manufacturing, and testing blood and plasma
donor samples and diagnostic (human and animal) specimens for confirmation of
infection with this virus.
Richard T. Schumacher, CEO, Chairman, and Founder of Boston Biomedica,
said: Over the past two months, we have met with colleagues from many groups
involved in the development of tests for West Nile Virus, including scientists
and senior managers from industry, public health, government, and blood
organizations. The message from these groups has been essentially the same -
there is an immediate need for BBI to make available QC products and our in-
house testing services to aid them in their WNV development programs. Toward
this end, our staff has been working diligently to successfully meet our
target to have such products and services available by or before November
15th.
Schumacher continued: In addition to our capabilities in the blood and
plasma screening area, we have also recently generated very interesting data
on the use of our Pressure Cycling Technology (PCT) Sample Preparation System
for the safe, rapid, and reproducible release of WNV RNA from birds and
mosquitoes. We are optimistic that developers of diagnostic tests for the
detection of WNV in these and other difficult-to-lyse specimens will find
these data to be of interest, and that the PCT SPS will be beneficial to their
research and development programs.
Boston Biomedica, Inc. provides products and services to the life sciences industry to evaluate, monitor, and ensure the quality of infectious disease test results, to improve the preparation of specimens for genomic/proteomic testing, and to safely store and retrieve rare and valuable biological specimens. We also manufacture biological reagents used in test kits and provide a broad range of routine and esoteric research services to governments and industry. BBI operates in three states, and conducts research in new applications for our patented Pressure Cycling Technology (PCT). In 2000, we launched Panacos Pharmaceuticals, and the Company maintains a significant passive investment in this novel antiviral drug development company.
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 Boston Biomedica may not be
successful in commercializing its West Nile Virus QC products and services, or
that these products and services may not be needed by developers of WNV tests.
In addition, due to difficulties in the implementation of its
commercialization strategies, Boston Biomedica may not be successful 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 area of West Nile Virus, 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.
Visit us at our website http://www.bbii.com
Please email us at IR@bbii.com if you prefer to receive future announcements electronically
Make Your Opinion Count - Click Here
http://tbutton.prnewswire.com/prn/11690X62601359
SOURCE Boston Biomedica, Inc.
-0- 11/04/2002
/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: Liz Falcone of Schneider & Associates, +1-617-536-3300/
/Web site: http://www.bbii.com/
(BBII)
CO: Boston Biomedica, Inc.; Food and Drug Administration (FDA); Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Health Resources Services
Administration; National Institutes of Health (NIH)
ST: Massachusetts
IN: MTC BIO HEA
SU:
CP
-- NEM026 --
5366 11/04/2002 10:41 EST http://www.prnewswire.com