Molecular diagnostics company GenturaDx today announces that it has been awarded two additional patents from the United States Patent Office related to the company's IDbox™, it's fully-integrated molecular diagnostics platform. These two new patents (U.S. Patent Nos. 7,910,062 and 8,029,746) relate to GenturaDx's proprietary method of manipulating paramagnetic particles inside a closed cartridge for the purpose of purifying nucleic acids, and expand the company's total number of issued U.S. patents to four. The company's proprietary method of purifying nucleic acids is fully integrated with amplification and detection capabilities within the IDbox™ instrument and consumable cartridge and enable the platform to detect a broad range of pathogens from a wide variety of starting sample types.
"Our focus on nucleic acid purification is the cornerstone of our highly flexible system," said GenturaDx Chief Scientific Officer Jesus Ching, Ph.D. "These latest two patents are part of our long term strategy of targeting and acquiring key patents and licenses to support our proprietary cassette and fully integrated platform."
GenturaDx's fully automated molecular diagnostics platform, the IDbox™ System and its initial HSV 1&2 assay, are currently in beta testing, with clinical trials beginning in 2012. The IDbox™ System's integrated and automated design brings rapid, cost-effective, high performance molecular testing capabilities to hospital labs seeking to further automate existing molecular testing or bring testing in house.
"The addition of these two patents support our goal of developing a more effective, flexible and practical system that is protected by strong IP," said GenturaDx CEO Mark Bagnall. "GenturaDx has already benefitted from a license to proprietary PCR technology and continues to pursue additional patents. Our success at obtaining the initial four patents provides exciting momentum as we build our long-term portfolio."
GenturaDx is a molecular diagnostic company focused on making high-performance molecular diagnostics both affordable and practical for any laboratory to perform. The company is developing a fully integrated, automated instrument that conducts testing using a single-use cassette. This platform will make rapid, high-quality molecular diagnostics accessible to hospitals and patients worldwide - circumventing long-standing barriers of costs, automation and performance. GenturaDx's compact, self-contained platform incorporates sample preparation with proprietary, real-time PCR amplification and detection, reducing the risk of contamination and saving time. The platform's unique engineering design and intuitive interface relies on semi-batch processing capability while improving clinical value by offering multiple molecular targets in a single test.