Rheonix receives U.S patent for microfluidic device

Rheonix, Inc., developer of the Rheonix CARD™ (Chemistry And Reagent Device) system to provide multiplexed endpoint analysis for a wide breadth of diagnostic applications, announced that on November 16, 2010 the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued Patent Number 7,832,429 "Microfluidic Pump and Valve Structures and Fabrication Method" to the Company. The patent is the first granted for the Company's core device, which was developed through Rheonix' proprietary technologies, including its patented lamination technology, issued in October 2009.

“Microfluidic Pump and Valve Structures and Fabrication Method”

"This patent demonstrates the continued influence that inventors Dr. Peng Zhou and Lincoln Young have exerted in the field of active microfluidic devices, and the technology's promise for widely-available, high-value instruments," said Tony Eisenhut, Rheonix President. "This issuance is the first to apply directly to the Rheonix CARD™ system's core device, which provides a versatile platform for the development of commercially-viable diagnostic products. The long-sought promise of microfluidics—integration of all common laboratory operations on a chip to enable 'sample in, results out' functionality—has great potential to become a commercial reality with devices produced by Rheonix."

Rheonix has developed an integrated system consisting of a disposable device that incorporates patented microfluidic structures and lamination technology. This platform, the Rheonix CARD™ system, uses active diaphragm valves that regulate the transport of fluids through microfluidic systems in a monolithic device. The diaphragm valves may be used singly or in combinations that serve to pump fluids bi-directionally and selectively from single or many sources to single or many destinations in a microfluidic system. Rheonix uses the patented device to manipulate samples as diverse as blood, saliva, mucosal swabs and environmental sources, and sample sizes from 10 microliters to 2 - 3 milliliters for fully integrated processing from the raw sample through end-point analysis for clinical, research and environmental purposes on its Rheonix CARD™ system. Once the user loads the raw sample onto the Rheonix CARD™ system, all further processing, from sample preparation through readout of the final results, takes place in the disposable device with the protocols under software control by the host instrument.

Rheonix has multiple issued patents and pending applications filed worldwide on its technology, its applications in various fields and its instruments that are enabled by its core technology.

To date the Company is developing its products for human in vitro molecular testing of viruses, genotyping for personalized medicine, and molecular detection of food and water borne pathogens.

Upcoming Event

Dr. Richard Montagna, Senior VP for Corporate Business Development and Scientific Affairs, of Rheonix, Inc. will present a poster, "Rheonix CARD™ Technology: A Fully Automated Molecular Diagnostic for Infectious Diseases" at the Association for Molecular Pathology Annual Meeting, November 17-20, 2010 in San Jose, California. Rheonix will also exhibit at Booth #1337 during the conference.