Tuesday, September 23, 2008

U.S. Genomics takes in $4.5M for infectious disease diagnoses

By Mass High Tech Staff

U.S. Genomics received $4.5 million from medical products manufacturer and supply firm Becton, Dickinson and Co. (BD) and has begun a collaborative agreement to develop a new diagnostic platform for infectious disease.

The partnership is based on the use of Woburn-based U.S. Genomic’s single-molecule infectious disease detection system, DirectLinear Analysis (DLA). The company stated its DLA process can identify the type of pathogens, drug resistance and power of the infectious agent in a few hours. The technology was partially funded by the National Science Foundation, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency grants and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The technology cost more than $50 million to develop, the company said.

In July, DHS awarded U.S. Genomics a $9.1 million contract to further develop a bioterror sensor based on its technology platform.

U.S. Genomics has developed a series of products to sequence DNA and analysis cellular material. Its GeneEngine mimics natural cell division, which reads and copies DNA. U.S. Genomics now focuses on developing applications using single-molecule analysis. The firm was founded by brothers Eugene Chan and Ian Chan and now employs 79 workers. Craig Venter, founder of The Institute for Genomic Research, sits on the company’s board of directors.