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8 Feb 05 NUS lands exclusive deal with scientific breakthrough by Tan Huileng IN AN age overshadowed by the spectre of biological terrorism and infectious epidemics, the blood of the humble horseshoe crab has provided a National University of Singapore (NUS) team with a key to tackling biological toxins. The research team's discovery has led to an exclusive licensing agreement with an American biotech company, BioDtech (BDT), the NUS Industry & Technology Relations Office announced yesterday. It was first discovered in the 1950s that the blood of horseshoe crabs clots when it comes in contact with endotoxins, which are toxins associated with certain bacteria. Since then, horseshoe crabs have been routinely bled to extract the clotting agent which is used to develop reliable tests for contaminated bacteria. But the process is much simpler now. The NUS team has identified the short protein sequence in the enzyme that initiates the blood clotting reaction in the crab. It means the protein sequence can now be manufactured easily in bulk. The discovery was made by a team led by Prof Ding Jeak Ling from the biological sciences department, and Assoc Prof Ho Bow from the microbiology department. The agreement gives BDT an exclusive worldwide license to use and further develop the technology and includes several patents. BDT intends to develop a quick, user-friendly test based on the new technology, which can be marketed to the pharmaceutical, medical device manufacturing, environmental health, medical hygiene and clinical diagnosis markets. BDT will also investigate the use of the technology to treat infections associated with sepsis, cystic fibrosis and Aids. "Our products will permit the direct detection and identification of biological toxins, resulting in faster, simpler and more accurate measurements," said president and chief executive of BDT, Dr Michael Pepe. "Future applications of this promising technology range from the detection of other infectious diseases to possible applications for homeland security," he said. A product is expected in six months. links Related articles on Putting a price on nature in Singapore |
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