Specialists in cellular analysis Cyntellect this week announced the issuance of a new patent covering the company's Laser Enabled Analysis and Processing (LEAP) technology platform.
US Patent No. 6,534,308 for 'Method and apparatus for selectively targeting specific cells within a mixed cell population' is exclusively licensed by Cyntellect from Oncosis and brings the total number of patents for the LEAP technology to five.
"The LEAP platform will lead a shift from passive cell screening to active cell screening employing real-time laser-based cell manipulations, which will enable efficiency gains in drug discovery and development," claimed Dr Fred Koller, COO and vice president of research and development. "LEAP is currently the only technology that can simultaneously obtain high-content image data at ultra high-throughput speeds, and then manipulate targeted cells with its novel targeting laser. This ability to perform active cell screening will streamline the current high-throughput and high-content screening processes and lead to the development of new applications and assays."
Koller further added : "The issuance of this latest patent now solidifies our IP fence as we proceed with commercialisation of the LEAP technology.
We have generated active cell screening data including high-throughput optoinjection to achieve RNA interference-mediated gene silencing in targeted cells, followed by untransfected cell ablation and subsequent image-based assay readout on purified cells."