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| DNA Electronics Announces Grants of Key International Patents DNA Electronics has been awarded three key patents for semiconductor-based nucleotide detection. These latest patent allowances in the United States, China and Europe build upon DNA Electronics' strong semiconductor IP portfolio, relevant parts of which have been licensed non-exclusively to Roche and Life Technologies in recent months. The core platform is based on an invention by semiconductor healthcare pioneer Professor Chris Toumazou FRS – founder and CEO of DNA Electronics – and a research student of his. In 2001, they found that when two complementary nucleotides bind together, protons are released, which generates a pH change, and that this pH change could switch on a microchip-based transistor known as an ion-sensitive field-effect transistor (ISFET). This effectively became a form of true "DNA Logic", turning the nucleotides of the DNA code into the 0 and 1 of digital computing. Since then, DNA Electronics has gone on to expand its IP portfolio and continues to develop its handheld Genalysis semiconductor platform which offers unprecedented point-of-care results for infection detection and pharmacogenetics – predicting how a patient will likely respond to specific medication. DNA Electronics' technology is based on standard CMOS semiconductor technology, meaning that fabrication of the chip-based chemical transistors can be manufactured in any microchip foundry in the world without any modification of these exceptionally high-volume techniques. The CMOS semiconductor technology also allows scaling up of the number of sensors that can be integrated on to a single chip, as well as the integration of on-board readout, processing and communications circuitry. By leveraging DNA Electronics' platform technology, immediate conversion of chemical reactions to digital signals can record each nucleotide's incorporation in seconds, which makes possible scalable sequencers that complete runs in a matter of hours and enables truly point-of-care DNA diagnostic devices. write your comments about the article :: © 2010 Computing News :: home page |