OraSure to Participate with Penn in Oral Fluid Research Grant
The grant will fund work by a multidisciplinary group of scientists from OraSure and the University's School of Dental Medicine and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
The grant will cover basic research in three main areas, including new technologies for collecting bacterial/viral protein and nucleic acid samples from the human mouth, the combination of the University of Pennsylvania's microfluidic processing technology with OraSure's Up-Converting Phosphor Technology (UPT(TM)) for sample detection, and the identification of viral or bacterial markers.
The research plan contemplates achieving these goals through the use of OraSure's UPT(TM)-based UPlink(TM) point-of-care, instrument detection system.
"This grant is further evidence of OraSure's leadership in the field of oral fluid diagnostics, and will help us continue to maintain that leadership position through further funded development of our UPT(TM) and UPlink(TM) technologies", said Sam Niedbala, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer of OraSure Technologies. "The funding expected from this grant will support critical basic research as we seek to define the full capabilities of UPT(TM) and UPlink(TM) in oral fluid diagnostics."
Funding under the $4.2 million grant is expected to be made available over a four-year period, with approximately $1 million available in the first year and slightly more than $1 million available each year thereafter. Approximately $400,000 will be made available to fund work performed by OraSure during the first year.
Payments under the grant in the second, third and fourth years, which are expected to approximate the funding levels available in year one, will be subject to availability of funds and satisfactory progress of the research and development project.
Scientists at Penn's School of Dental Medicine will work to develop new methods for sampling the oral cavity to yield bacterial and viral pathogens as well as antibodies to those pathogens.
Novel microfluidic technologies, developed at Penn's School of Engineering and Applied Science, will be used to process the oral samples and carry out amplification of bacterial and viral genetic materials. These samples will then be detected utilizing the UPlink(TM) technology.
"The net result is intended to be the rapid, on-site identification of multiple pathogens and antibodies to these pathogens," said Dr. Daniel Malamud, professor of biochemistry at Penn's School of Dental Medicine and the University's principal investigator for the grant. "This technology should have broad applications in the field of infectious disease diagnosis, including agents associated with bioterrorism."
About Up-Converting Phosphor Technology (UPT(TM)) / UPlink(TM)
UPT(TM) is a proprietary label detection technology developed by OraSure Technologies and research partners, SRI International, Menlo Park, California, and Leiden University, The Netherlands. UPT(TM) uses phosphor particles that convert light from low energy (infrared) to high-energy visible light.
This rare optical process, not found in nature, is expected to make UPT(TM) useful as a reporter label to detect a wide variety of targets including drugs of abuse, infectious diseases, cancer markers, food pathogens, cardiac risk markers, and DNA probes.
UPT(TM) particles produce zero background interference, which dramatically increases the potential sensitivity of any test system. In addition, the many colors of particles allow simultaneous detection of multiple biological markers.
UPlink(TM) is OraSure Technologies' first product platform based on the UPT(TM) technology. UPlink(TM) is a point-of-care system comprised of an oral fluid sample collector, test cassette, and an analyzer developed for an initial application for use in detecting drugs of abuse.
About OraSure Technologies
OraSure Technologies develops, manufactures and markets oral fluid specimen collection devices and tests and other diagnostic products using its proprietary technologies, including immunoassays and other in vitro diagnostic tests and other medical devices.
These products are sold in the United States and certain foreign countries to government agencies, clinical laboratories, physicians' offices, hospitals, commercial and industrial entities, and various distributors.
OraSure Technologies is the leading supplier of oral fluid collection devices and assays to the life insurance industry and public health markets for the detection of antibodies to HIV-1. In addition, the Company supplies oral-fluid testing solutions for drugs of abuse testing. For more information on the Company, please go to www.orasure.com.
About the University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania, located in Philadelphia, is an Ivy League institution with four undergraduate schools and 12 graduate and professional schools. Penn features a diverse community of more than 20,000 students from throughout the nation and around the world.
Important Information
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including with respect to funding, research and development, technology and products. Actual results could be significantly different.
Factors that could affect results include the ability to market products; impact of competitors, competing products and technology changes; ability to develop, commercialize and market new products; market acceptance of oral fluid testing or other products; ability to fund research and development and other projects and operations; ability to obtain and timing of obtaining necessary regulatory approvals; ability to develop product distribution channels; uncertainty relating to patent protection and potential patent infringement claims; ability to enter into international manufacturing agreements; obstacles to international marketing and manufacturing of products; ability to sell products internationally; loss or impairment of sources of capital; exposure to product liability and other types of litigation; changes in international, federal or state laws and regulations; changes in relationships with strategic partners and reliance on strategic partners for the performance of critical activities under collaborative arrangements; changes in accounting practices or interpretation of accounting requirements; customer inventory practices and consolidations; equipment failures and ability to obtain needed raw materials and components; the impact of terrorism and civil unrest; and general business, political and economic conditions.
These and other factors are discussed more fully in the Securities and Exchange Commission filings of OraSure Technologies, including its registration statements, its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2001, and its most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
Although forward-looking statements help to provide complete information about future prospects, readers should keep in mind that forward-looking statements may not be reliable. The forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and OraSure Technologies undertakes no duty to update these statements.
CONTACT: OraSure Technologies, Inc. Ronald H. Spair, 610/882-1820 Investorinfo@orasure.com www.orasure.com or University of Pennsylvania Office of University Communications Julie S. McWilliams, 215/898-1422 Fax: 215/898-1203
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