Chart Venture Partners
Innovative Biosensors Inc. and ATCC® Partner
Press Release 04/09/2008
IBI and ATCC
Innovative Biosensors Inc. and ATCC today announced a research and development partnership aimed at developing a rapid and portable test to detect Avian (H5N1) influenza virus.
Under the agreement, ATCC will provide IBI with highly sensitive, proprietary monoclonal antibodies for H5N1 flu. IBI will use the reagents with their proprietary molecular technology platform to develop a rapid and accurate diagnostic test. The product will be commercialized and distributed through the IBI Environmental Group further expanding the menu of available assays according to Richard Thomas, President, IBI Environmental Group.
“IBI’s biosensor technology platform allows development of accurate and sensitive diagnostic tests that yield results in minutes,” said Dr. Cohava Gelber, ATCC Chief Scientific and Technology Officer.
The rapid Avian flu diagnostic test will depend on powerful ATCC technology for generating antibodies against specific antigens. Joe Hernandez, President and CEO for IBI, remarked, “The combination of high-specificity ATCC monoclonal antibodies and IBI’s sensitive diagnostic platform will enable us to develop the first rapid and reliable test specific for Avian Flu virus.”
Innovative Biosensors, Inc. (IBI) of Rockville, Md. develops rapid, ultra-sensitive tests to identify harmful pathogens. ATCC (American Type Culture Collection), of Manassas, Va., is a global nonprofit biological resource center and research organization that acquires, authenticates, preserves, develops and distributes biological products for academic and industrial research.
Health professionals are concerned that the continued spread of a highly pathogenic avian H5N1 virus across eastern Asia and other countries represents a significant threat to human health. According to CDC, the H5N1 virus has raised concerns about a potential human pandemic because: it is especially virulent, it is spread by migratory birds, and it can be transmitted from birds to other mammals including humans. The recent cases of human disease form the basis for concerns of a potential pandemic due to sustained human-to-human virus transmission.
About Innovative Biosensors, Inc.
Innovative Biosensors, Inc. is a privately held company developing novel technologies for the rapid detection of pathogens in biodefense applications and human clinical diagnostics. IBI’s technology has been tailored to rapidly and sensitively detect biological threats in building security, military, and civil defense applications. Additionally, the technology platform is being used to develop rapid tests for the detection of hospital-acquired infections. Additional information is available at www.innovativebiosensors.com.
About ATCC (American Type Culture Collection)
ATCC is a global nonprofit bioresource center and research organization that delivers research tools and standards in cell biology, developmental biology, and microbiology to serve academic, government, public health, and industrial scientific communities. ATCC’s mission is to acquire, authenticate, preserve, develop and distribute biological materials, information, technology, intellectual property and standards for the advancement and application of scientific knowledge. Visit us online at www.atcc.org
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