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Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory and the Russian Academy of Sciences' Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, are developing a biochip to detect TB and other infectious diseases. The Argonne-Engelhardt biochip resembles a traditional glass microscope slide that contains up to 10,000 tiny gel pads, each serving as a miniature laboratory. Uses apply unknown DNA to a biochip containing up to 10,000 different samples of known DNA, such as from different strains of tuberculosis bacteria. The biochip can be cleansed and reused up to 50 times, potentially making them more economical than conventional biochip technology. Under an agreement reached signed in 1998 with the Department of Energy, Motorola, Inc. will develop manufacturing processes to mass produce biochips, and Packard Instrument Company will develop and manufacture the analytical instruments to process and analyze the biochips.

AstraZeneca Diagnostics has introduced a new range of ELUCIGENE Analyte Specific Reagents (ASRs) for routine in-house-use by laboratories with a working knowledge of PCR. The ASRs can be used in genetic tests using ARMS allele specific amplification. ARMS-based tests require no product labeling procedures or detection instrumentation and analysis can be carried out using standard agarose gel electrophoresis. Currently there are seven reagent packs in the range including: cystic fibrosis, ApoE, poly-T, MCAD.

BioArray Solutions, LLC, has developed an optically programmable bead array technology to be used as an array platform on the surface of a semiconductor chip. The proprietary technology is used to assemble and probe planar arrays composed of thousands of beads to provide a parallel homogeneous assay format designed to monitor the binding of ligands (including nucleic acids, proteins, antigens) to bead-coupled receptors (including oligonucleotides, cDNA fragments, antibodies or other proteins).

Third Wave Technologies has entered into research and license agreements with the University of Guelph, Guelph, ON involving Third Wave's patented Invader technology to develop assays for detecting and typing verocytotoxin-producing E. coli, including the 0157:H7 bacteria. Third Wave has an option to obtain exclusive worldwide commercial rights to the developed technology.

Molecular Biology - September 1999