Thursday, August 18, 2011

New Spire patent could attack cancer cells

By James M. Connolly

Solar energy company Spire Corp. today reported that it has been awarded a patent for a nanophotovoltaic device that the company says could be used to control or limit the growth of biological cells, such as cancer cells.

Bedford-based Spire (Nasdaq: SPIR) focuses on solar equipment, but maintains a biomedical unit that is involved in surface modification.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued Spire U.S. Patent No. 7,955,965 entitled “Nanophotovoltaic Devices.” The company said the invention “provides Nano-PV devices having sizes in a range of about 50 nanometers to about 5 microns, and a method for their fabrication.” Spire said device can target specific cells and selectively activate them by light to generate an electrical charge to kill or interfere with cell growth.

Spire chairman and CEO Roger G. Little said in a press release, “This being our third patent issued from our original invention, we have combined our understanding of photovoltaics with our experience in the biomedical field.”

In the spring, Spire said it had started construction of a 2-megawatt solar power system at a private high school in Western Massachusetts, the Berkshire School in Sheffield.