Consortium awarded a grant to develop technologies to screen large numbers of people for radiation exposure in the event of a terrorist attack on a nuclear facility or detonation of a dirty bomb
Sionex is participating in a consortium which has been awarded a US$25million grant from the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAid) through the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The consortium, headed by Columbia University Medical Center, has been awarded a major grant to develop new technologies to rapidly screen large numbers of people for radiation exposure in the event of a terrorist attack on a nuclear facility or detonation of a radiological 'dirty bomb'.
"We are delighted that our proposed technologies have been selected for this grant to help provide rapid, targeted triage following a radiation event," said David Brenner, professor of radiation oncology and public health, Center for Radiological Research, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Brenner is the principal investigator of the consortium.
Over the next five years, the team will develop new devices that can assess, rapidly following a potentially catastrophic radiological incident, the radiation doses received by hundreds of thousands of individuals.
"The role of Sionex in this consortium is to lead the development and commercialisation of a handheld device for non-invasive screening for radiation exposure," said Anthony Bashall, VP of marketing and business development at Sionex.
"The device will analyse sweat, urine or saliva samples to detect and identify metabolites which are indicative of radiation exposure.
"Our proprietary technology is currently being used to detect chemical and biological warfare agents, explosives, toxic compounds and narcotics with low cost handheld or highly portable devices".
The eight participants involved in the research consortium are: Columbia University Medical Center (lead institution); Harvard University School of Public Health; Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute; the National Cancer Institute; University of Pittsburgh Medical Center; Translational Genomics Research Institute; Sionex Corporation; and the City of New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Sionex is a high technology company focused on commercialising breakthrough chemical and biological sensor chips and systems based on its proprietary microDMx detection technology.
Sionex maintains its worldwide headquarters and laboratories in Bedford, Massachusetts, close to Boston with its commercial, technology and communications infrastructure.
The company is privately held and was founded in 2001 with patented technology exclusively licensed from the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory.
