Recent Phase II SBIR Grant for Pathogen Inactivation Studies
WEST BRIDGEWATER, Mass., March 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/-- Boston Biomedica, Inc. (Nasdaq: BBII) today announced that it has been awarded a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grant for the use of its proprietary Pressure Cycling Technology (PCT) to release DNA, RNA, and proteins from cells and tissues, with particular emphasis on hard-to-lyse biomaterials. The Grant is for $701,000, with first-year funding of $350,000. These funds will be used to further support on-going commercial development work, as well as studies of new applications in life sciences for the PCT Sample Preparation System, which will be launched at Pittcon 2002, a major analytical instrument exhibition in New Orleans, LA, from March 17-21.
"The data for the use of PCT in sample preparation look very promising, and the timing of this award couldn't be better," said Richard T. Schumacher, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Boston Biomedica. "We are preparing to launch our novel PCT Sample Preparation System at Pittcon next week, and this Grant will permit BBI to further expand its usage to important applications in plant and animal genomics and proteomics, in addition to uses already under study, such as processing human tissues for cancer diagnosis or genetic abnormalities."
The PCT Sample Preparation System uses a BBI-designed and manufactured instrument, the Barocycler NEP2017, together with specially designed, multi- functional PULSE Tubes, to subject biological samples to repeated cycles of high and low pressures, under controlled temperature ranges, to safely and effectively release nucleic acids and proteins from many types of cells and tissues. Conventional methods for the extraction of these biomolecules, particularly from "hard-to-lyse" cells and tissues, often require extensive pre-processing steps such as grinding with a mortar and pestle in liquid nitrogen, mechanical grinding with beads, sonication, or prolonged incubation with enzymes. These methods are labor-intensive, can expose the operator to chemical or pathogen hazards, can degrade fragile molecules, and can frequently give inconsistent results. In contrast, the PCT method provides a self-contained system for the rapid and convenient processing of multiple samples, while processed material can often be analyzed directly, without further treatment. The use of PCT in sample preparation and pathogen inactivation are the subjects of several US Patents granted to BBI.
"A major advantage of the PCT Sample Preparation System over other methods is that PCT conditions can be controlled to preserve the activity of released material, including intact RNA and biologically active proteins, making it especially relevant for the study of gene expression," said Dr. Mark Manak, Senior Vice President of R&D at BBI. "This is the second Phase II SBIR Grant recently awarded the PCT program. Last fall, we were awarded a Phase II SBIR Grant for $760,000 over a two-year period ($371,000 for the first year) to apply PCT to the inactivation of viruses in blood plasma while preserving the plasma's therapeutic properties. Thus, both major PCT research programs currently underway at BBI are well supported by NIH grants."
Boston Biomedica, Inc. provides products and services for the detection and monitoring 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) through its subsidiary BBI BioSeq, with the goal of introducing new solutions for a number of important healthcare issues, including the extraction of nucleic acids and proteins, the inactivation of pathogens in human plasma, protein purification, food safety, and genomics. BBI also maintains a passive investment in Panacos Pharmaceuticals, a privately held antiviral drug and vaccine development company recently spun-off from BBI, 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 intention, 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 development of the technology, BBI may not be successful in developing pressure cycling technology into commercially viable products or services, including those in the area of nucleic acid and protein sample preparation, as well as pathogen inactivation; 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 eight issued 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 (as amended) for the year ended December 31, 2000 and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, June 30, and September 30, 2001, and Current Report on Form 8-K filed March 8, 2001. Copies of these documents may be obtained by contacting the Company or the SEC.
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SOURCE Boston Biomedica
Web site: http: //www.bbii.com
CONTACT: Richard T. Schumacher, CEO & Chairman, or Kevin W. Quinlan, President & COO of Boston Biomedica, Inc., +1-508-580-1900, of Boston Biomedica, Inc.; or Jennifer Viera of Schneider & Associates, +1-617-536-3300, jviera@schneiderpr.com
