Canadian Collaboration to Develop Bioterror Diagnostics

Project funding was awarded by several Canadian agencies, including the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA; Ottawa). The purpose of the funding and collaborative agreement is to develop diagnostic tools for the detection of natural or potential bioterror threats to livestock, such as foot and mouth disease and avian flu, employing Nanogen's NanoChip platform. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The NanoChip 400 is an automated multiplexing platform, which uses advanced microarray technology for performing pathogen sequence detection and genotyping applications. Multiple samples with multiple targets can be applied to an open and flexible electronic microarray--the NanoChip cartridge--that may be reused until all tests sites have been utilized. As the NanoChip arrays are built by users rather than containing pre-determined content, the system provides a simple, fast, and cost-effective means for performing molecular testing.

"Although the majority of our NanoChip instruments are used in basic research and human clinical diagnostics applications, we have always known that the platform's flexibility confers benefit in other markets, such as veterinary diagnostics and the monitoring of bioterror threats,” said David Ludvigson, Nanogen president and CEO.

Foot and mouth disease, a viral infection that devastated the beef industry in the United Kingdom in 2001, is a major bioterror concern since it is easily transmissible from animal to animal.


Related Links:
Nanogen
Canadian Food Inspection Agency