nice...stock around 29/32...15/16:
(COMTEX) B: XTRANA Receives Funding From the U.S. Department of Agric
B: XTRANA Receives Funding From the U.S. Department of Agriculture to Develop
Rapid Nucleic Acid Test for Salmonella Contamination in Food
DENVER, Jun 28, 2000 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- XTRANA today announced that the Company
has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant from
the United States Department of Agriculture to develop a nucleic acid-based test
for Salmonella.
The XTRANA test will be rapid, inexpensive, disposable, and very user-friendly
to meet the needs of on-site testing in the food processing and packaging
industries. The test will be automatable to accommodate high sample throughput
with the turnaround time for results in less than one day, allowing for rapid
corrective action if contamination is detected.
The test will incorporate XTRANA's Xtra Bind(TM) nucleic acid binding matrix and
the Company's proprietary lateral flow detection technology, integrated into a
modular platform of their SCIP(TM) (Self Contained Integrated Particle) system.
Salmonella is the most common bacterial cause of foodborne illness. U.S. medical
and productivity costs due to Salmonella infections are estimated at $0.6
billion to $3.5 billion each year. Approximately 40,000 cases of salmonellosis
are reported in the United States annually; however many milder cases are not
diagnosed or reported. Therefore, the actual number of infections may be 20 or
more times greater.
The organism is currently monitored by the Food Safety and Inspection Service
(FSIS) as a measure of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan
effectiveness, which is aimed at preventing and controlling contamination so
products meet regulatory standards.
Jack Wheeler, CEO, described XTRANA's approach, "Most DNA- or RNA-based tests
require technical expertise and complex, expensive equipment. Our modular
SCIP(TM) system for combining nucleic acid extraction, amplification and
detection makes nucleic acid-based testing as easy as the standard culturing
tests currently being used.
"By developing a system which accommodates either PCR or isothermal
amplification, and either low throughput manual testing or high throughput
automated testing, our test can be used anywhere from the slaughterhouse or
processing plant to a packaging facility or contract testing laboratory.
"We are concurrently developing tests for a number of additional food, water and
environmental pathogens, including E. coli O157, Listeria monocytogenes, and
coliforms. These will soon be commercially available as individual pathogen
tests and as panel tests for certain pathogen combinations."
As reported on May 4, 2000, XTRANA and Biopool International, Inc. (OTCBB:BIPL),
www.biopool.com, announced that the companies had signed a definitive Agreement
and Plan of Reorganization to merge. XTRANA has developed proprietary
technologies that offer new approaches to nucleic acid-based testing, making it
more practical, less complicated and less expensive.
Nucleic acid-based tests developed by XTRANA are for use in drug discovery,
detection of environmental and food contaminants, forensics and identity
testing, human and animal diseases, genetic predisposition to disease, and other
applications. For additional information, visit the XTRANA Web site at
www.xtrana.com, or email sbeard@xtrana.com.
CONTACT: XTRANA Inc., Denver
Jack Wheeler, 303/363-2443
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KEYWORD: COLORADO
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: MEDICAL
PHARMACEUTICAL
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