A LEAP ahead

Related tags Dna Gene

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.

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."