Nanogen Gets Two New Patents and New VP of Business Development

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued Nanogen Inc. (San Diego) two additional patents relating to the company's electronic microarray technology: "Multicomponent Devices For Molecular Biological Analysis and Diagnostics" (No. 6,068,818) and "Channel-Less Separation of Bioparticles On A Bioelectronic Chip By Dielectrophoresis" (No. 6,071,394). These are Nanogen's 16th and 17th U.S. patents.

Nanogen's VP of science and technology James P. O'Connell explained the two patented technologies in a company press release:

• U.S. Patent 6,071,394 claims important aspects of electronic sample-to-answer integration. The apparatus and methods described in the '394 Patent permit the separation of a mixture of cellular materials in a sample using an electronic separation technique known as dielectrophoresis through a channel-less flow chamber. Once the relevant materials are separated, the cells can be moved electronically to a bio-electronic chip where the cells can be lysed and the genetic contents further processed and analyzed. In certain embodiments, the patent describes the use of two separate arrays linked electronically. The first array operates to achieve cell separation and cell processing and the second array is used for DNA hybridization or immunoassay applications.

• U.S. Patent 6,068,818 covers a variety of electronic devices and components for performing electronically-controlled biological operations. High reliability interconnections are of critical importance in electronic manufacturing. As an electronic device, the NanoChip electronic microchip array requires electrical connection to various substrates, which in turn are electrically connected to the NanoChip Molecular Biology Workstation. The '818 Patent describes the use of certain cost-effective substrates and interconnect processes that may further enhance our ability to meet our customers' high requirements for quality and accuracy.

In related news, Nanogen has hired George Bers as vice president of business development. Prior to joining Nanogen, Bers was with BioRad Laboratories, where he served in various capacities ranging from sales and marketing to general management over a 24-year career.

Nanogen Inc. integrates microelectronics and molecular biology into a platform technology with potential commercial applications in the fields of biomedical research, genomics, medical diagnostics, genetic testing, and drug discovery.

For more information: Nanogen Inc., 10398 Pacific Center Ct., San Diego, CA 92121. Tel: 858-546-7700. Fax: 858-546-7718.

Edited by Jim Pomager