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To: richardred who wrote (933)	12/8/2005 12:56:36 AM
From: richardred	Respond to of 7256

Agilent and Invitrogen to market screening and detection system for infectious agents such as anthrax and smallpox - Contact UsContact Us April 7, 2005 Security has become a global topic of heightened public concern, particularly in the area of infectious agents that can spread rapidly through a population. Fast detection of such agents enables a quick response, ultimately limiting the impact of an event. To assist in addressing such threats, Agilent and Invitrogen Corp. have announced a two-year agreement to co-market the PathAlert(TM) Detection System, a cost-effective screening and confirmatory detection system for infectious agents such as anthrax and smallpox. The PathAlert System features Invitrogen's PathAlert Detection Kits and the Agilent 2100 bioanalyzer or 5100 Automated Lab-on-a-Chip platform. Each PathAlert Detection Kit is optimized for the detection of a specific infectious agent and allows microbiologists to monitor DNA targets and controls simultaneously without the constraints imposed by conventional real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Government, military and research organizations can use the system for accurate detection of infectious agents that cause diseases such as anthrax, plague, tularemia and smallpox, in samples collected from the field. In evaluations by the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the PathAlert Detection System earned high marks for accuracy in the identification of air- and waterborne pathogens: * In a technology readiness assessment (TRA) conducted at the Army's Dugway Proving Ground, the PathAlertTM Detection System demonstrated that PCR-based technologies score high marks for both accuracy and low limit of detection. The system accurately detected the pathogens that cause anthrax, plague and smallpox (using Vaccinia as a simulant) with no false positives in over two weeks of testing. * The EPA's Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) program evaluated the PathAlertTM Detection System for its ability to detect the infectious agents that cause anthrax, plague and tularemia in drinking water. Above its limit of detection, the system accurately detected each of the target organisms 100 percent of the time. This evaluation clearly highlighted specificity, the ability to provide a negative response in the absence of the pathogen, and precision, the ability to provide a consistent result for multiple samples of the same pathogen. "Biological agents represent a grave potential threat to public safety, and it is imperative that the life sciences industry provides government agencies with the tools they need to detect and neutralize these threats in a timely and effective way," concluded Gregory T. Lucier, president and CEO of Invitrogen Corp. "By combining the complementary capabilities of our two companies, this collaboration promises continued innovation in our efforts to help make society safer." The integrated PathAlert Detection System will be distributed through Invitrogen. agilent.com