Acoustic technology granted US patent
Akubio
Revs
Revolutionary system can sensitively, rapidly and economically detect analytes in complex fluids such as serum without the need for radio-, enzymatic or fluorescent labels
Acoustic technology granted US patent Revolutionary system cansensitively, rapidly and economically detect analytes in complexfluids such as serum without the need for the radio-, enzymaticor fluorescent labels used currently.
Akubio, an acousticdetection technology company, reports that its patent for itscore rupture event scanning (Revs) technology for the detectionand separation of molecules has been granted by the US patentoffice.
The patent, number USP 6589727, was granted on 8 July2003.
Commenting on the patent, John Pritchard, CEO, said:"Revs technology has significant advantages over existingtechnologies: it can sensitively, rapidly and economically detectanalytes in complex fluids such as serum without the need for theradio-, enzymatic or fluorescent labels used currently.
"Thegranting of our first patent puts Akubio in a strong position tocommercialise the technology for applications in the life scienceresearch and in vitro diagnostic markets".
Revs is one oftwo revolutionary acoustic technologies being developed byAkubio.
It can be used to size, separate and detect ligands.
Thetechnique works by effectively shaking the ligand, such as avirus particle, off a vibrating surface, at present a quartzresonator.
The acoustic energy, or sound, generated wheninteractions between the ligand and its receptor are broken isthen detected by using the resonator as a very sensitivemicrophone.
More strongly attached ligands detach at largeramplitudes of oscillation, so that separation and detection areperformed in the same experiment.
The magnitude of acousticenergy (ie the loudness of the sound) is proportional to thenumber of ligands on the surface, making the technique fullyquantitative.
Revs has the potential to be used in a wide rangeof applications including human and veterinary diagnostics, drugdiscovery, life sciences research, bioterrorism, food testing andenvironmental monitoring and in process monitoring of productionprocesses.
The core component used for detection (a quartzresonator) is employed in many electronic devices, eg watches andcomputers, and is mass-produced in the billions.
More stories
System to play big role in therapeutic projects
With RAP technology, protein interactions are specifically measured in crude and complex mixtures thereby eliminating expensive and time-consuming purification procedures
Acoustic analysis of biomolecular interactions
Based on resonant acoustic profiling (Rap), Rapid4 enables real-time label-free measurement and analysis of biomolecular interactions with the highest level of accuracy reproducibility and sensitivity
Label-free sensing technology acquired
Deal with GSK to obtain the worldwide rights to the intellectual property, equipment and know how related to piezoelectric crystal microbalance sensor system
Padfield takes the chair
John Padfield, previously a board director of Amersham and CEO of Chiroscience, is appointed to board of Akubio as chairman
New facilities at Cambridge fully commissioned
Akubio, the acoustic detection technology company, has announced that its new premises on the Cambridge Science Park are now fully commissioned
