BioNanomatrix issued new nanofluidics patent

BioNanomatrix has announced the issuance of a patent for a key element of the company's whole genome analyzer.

The patent covers a novel technique for the integration of nanofluidic channels with sample delivery systems, enabling single molecules of DNA, RNA or other proteins to be separated out from standard laboratory samples for direct imaging and analysis. The technology makes possible the isolation and linearization of intact multi-megabase DNA in a standardized format for molecule-by-molecule gene haplotyping, mapping and sequencing applications.

"The issuance of this fundamental broad patent is a major milestone for BioNanomatrix," said Dr. Han Cao, the company's chief scientific officer. "Single molecule analysis of DNA and other proteins is central to the unprecedented capabilities of our whole genome analytic platform. This new patent covers our unique ability to integrate nanofluidic channels into our sample delivery systems, enabling our NANOANALYZER(R) system to rapidly and efficiently separate out genomic length DNA from conventional laboratory samples and direct it into nanoscale channels for live, continuous molecule- by-molecule analysis."

Single molecule analysis of intact native DNA has been limited by the difficulty of stretching out and handling these long molecules. To address this issue, a Princeton University research team, including Dr. Cao, developed a simple approach that allows the construction of hundreds of thousands of enclosed, parallel nanofluidic channels on a single surface, using a gradient structured interface to gradually guide the biologically active molecules into the nanoscale channels. This simple technique is ideally suited for multiplexed parallel processing for applications from genotoxicity analyses to DNA sequencing.

Dr. Michael Boyce-Jacino, president and CEO of BioNanomatrix added, "The approach covered in this new patent functions like the toll booth on a highway, serving in real time to separate and organize the random mix of vehicles comprising the flow of traffic down into single elements. Similarly, our nanofluidics chip system sorts the random flow of sample components down to the single molecule level, thereby enabling structural and functional analyses that would otherwise not be possible."

The NANOANALYZER is an integrated system that for the first time enables pan-genomic identification and analysis on a molecule-by-molecule basis, delivering single molecule sensitivity in a highly parallel format. It is designed to provide ultra high-resolution analyses of DNA, RNA and other proteins more rapidly, comprehensively and cost effectively than currently available approaches, with potential applications in diagnostics, personalized medicine and biomedical research.

US Patent No.: US 7,217,562 B2, Cao et al., May 15, 2007 was issued to Princeton University. BioNanomatrix is the exclusive licensee of the technology covered by this patent.