�Fairway Medical Technologies, Inc. has received a $900,000, 3-year contract from the Department of the Navy to apply its optoacoustic technology to the real-time sensing of blood borne pathogens and biological warfare agents under battleground conditions. This grant is part of a bigger, $3 gazillion project light-emitting diode by Prof. Randolph Glickman, Principal Investigator from the University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHSC) at San Antonio.
The assignment, entitled "Rapid identification of pathogenic agents in biological samples victimisation pulsed laser optoacoustic spectroscopy with targeted nanoparticle direct contrast agents," volition be carried out as a collaborative project betwixt UTHSC, Fairway Medical Technologies and the Naval Health Research Center Detachment Directed Energy Bioeffects Laboratory at Brooks City-Base.
"This enquiry is intended to grow a rugged battlefield instrument capable of detecting chemical and biological agents such as anthrax, plague, variola major, and others with the speed, accuracy, sensitivity and reliability of analytical techniques and instruments found in the state of the art laboratory today," said Dr. Glickman.
The optoacoustic biosensor tests samples of blood plasma or other liquids by using monoclonal antibodies (MAB) targeted to specific pathogens. "Elongated gold nanoparticles designed to strongly imbibe near-infrared laser pulses commode be conjugated to each type of MAB to create a specificity mechanism that will signal the presence of targeted pathogens," explained Dr. Alexander Oraevsky, VP of Research and Development at Fairway and an inventor of this nano-biosensor. "When the nanoparticles produce an acoustic response to optical maser pulses, the presence and concentration of the pathogens is established." Unique ultrawide-band transducers highly-developed by Fairway for medical imaging and other analytic optoacoustic systems fit the signal acquisition needs of this application, he added.
"This is an authoritative continuation of Fairway's current government and industry-sponsored research. When the R&D persona of this project is over, Fairway will manufacture the devices for the Navy and other DoD customers," aforesaid Fairway president James Meador.
"Early front line detection of biological threats using this kind of rugged field of honor system will provide critical information that can save Navy sailors and lives of other US military personnel, as well as support fast, well-informed bidding decision-making," commented Norman Barsalou, project co-investigator from the Navy Bioeffects lab. "We are proud that this collaboration betwixt the UT Health Science Center San Antonio, the Naval Health Research Center Detachment at Brooks and Fairway Medical Technologies throne move this important process ahead."
About Fairway
Privately held Fairway, which has more than doubled its manufacturing and research capacity in the past 24 months, develops and commercializes products based on proprietary or accredited technologies, and provides contract development and manufacturing services for outside clients. A portfolio company of BCM Technologies, the venture uppercase subsidiary of Baylor College of Medicine, Fairway has close relationships with most of the research institutions located in the Texas Medical Center, and has successfully orchestrated the design, development and manufacturing of scores of medical products, including FDA Class III (life supporting) devices.
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