Grant of First European Patents Extends PCT Coverage Internationally
WEST BRIDGEWATER, Mass., Dec. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/-- Boston Biomedica, Inc. (Nasdaq: BBII) today announced that it has been issued a patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office covering the devices used in its proprietary Pressure Cycling Technology (PCT) for determination of nucleic acid (DNA, RNA) and protein sequences. The "Integrated Sequencing Device" patent (No. 6,448,065) is based on the discovery that pressure can be used to control the activity of enzymes that break down DNA and proteins into their component "building blocks" of nucleotides and amino acids, respectively. This patent describes a self-contained high-pressure reaction and detection apparatus with an integrated pressure cycling device optimized for sequencing operations, and extends the coverage of an earlier patent with the same title (No. 6,245,506) that described the sequencing methodology. The PCT methods and devices covered by these two patents may provide a more cost- effective and general method for determining the sequences of biomolecules than those currently used for sequencing nucleic acids or proteins.
The Company also announced the grant of its first two European patents. The first of these patents, titled "Pressure Cycling Reactor" extends the coverage of a previously issued U.S. patent of the same name (U.S. Patent No. 6,036,923) to Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland. The other patent, titled "Pressure Mediated Binding of Biomolecular Complexes," is the counterpart of a pending U.S. patent application, and extends protection to all the major countries of the European Union.
"Sequence information for nucleic acids and proteins is fundamental to progress in genomics and proteomics, whether these studies are applied to agriculture, medicine, or any of the other life sciences," said Dr. Nathan Lawrence, Director of Product Development for BBI Biotech and Project Leader for PCT. "The new "Integrated Sequencing Device" patent expands BBI's intellectual property portfolio in the areas of genomics and proteomics, and enhances the potential for development of a simple, rapid approach for nucleic acid and protein sequence determinations."
Previously issued U.S. PCT patents include the instrumentation designed to carry out the PCT process, technology for breaking open cells and viruses by exposure to alternating pressure pulses, modular devices for the separation and purification of nucleic acids, methods for sterilizing materials such as vaccines, therapeutics, or blood plasma preparations without destroying the desired protein activities, and methods for purifying biological compounds based upon their differential binding to an immobile support at specified pressures.
"This new U.S. patent, the ninth issued to BBI for PCT, extends our coverage of the biomolecular sequencing application for PCT, and the grant of our first two European PCT patents represents another milestone reached in our R&D program for this innovative and versatile technology platform," said Richard T. Schumacher, Founder, CEO, and Chairman of Boston Biomedica. "These patents, together with the recent release of our first PCT product, the PCT Sample Preparation System, give us added confidence that our PCT program is on target, and has the potential to play an important role in our overall goal to return BBI to profitability."
Boston Biomedica, Inc. provides products and services to the diagnostics and life sciences industries 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 due to difficulties in the implementation of its strategies, Boston Biomedica may not be successful in selling its PCT Sample Preparation System, or in further developing Pressure Cycling Technology into commercially viable products and services, or such activities may take longer than currently expected. In addition, because of advances in technology for other methods for sequencing nucleic acids or proteins, PCT may not become a cost-effective method for determining the sequences of biomolecules; that Pressure Cycling Technology may not be adaptable to any other commercially viable applications; that certain pressure cycling applications may not fall within the claims of the Company's nine issued U.S. and two issued European patents; and that 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, June 30, and September 30, 2002. Copies of these documents may be obtained by contacting the Company or the SEC.
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SOURCE Boston Biomedica, Inc.
