U.S. Patents Issued for Akonni Biosystems’ Thermal Cycling Technology

Fluidic-based heat transfer rapidly amplifies nucleic acid in enclosed chambers

Frederick, MD — June 21, 2011 — Akonni Biosystems, a developer of low cost multiplex platforms for genetic testing, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued two patents on June 7, 2011 for its novel method for amplifying nucleic acids using polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

U.S. Patent Nos. 7,955,840 and 7,955,841 describe unique approaches to thermal cycling for PCR where expandable bladder heaters and small volumes of circulating liquid are used to perform rapid thermal cycles in different types of reaction chambers. Together, these patents protect the Company’s use of its pioneering approach to thermal cycling. The patents are owned by Akonni Biosystems.

According to Kevin Banks, Ph.D., Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Akonni, “These patents expand Akonni’s intellectual property position in the field of using microarray-based approaches for rapidly identifying infections and diagnosing disease”. Banks adds, “The use of this novel approach for thermal cycling gives Akonni a unique ability to rapidly amplify nucleic acid and detect disease biomarkers within a single reaction chamber on a microarray. When used in combination with our TruTip technology for rapid nucleic acid extraction, this will facilitate the development of our next generation of systems for low cost multiplex genetic testing in point-of-care settings.”

About Akonni Biosystems

Akonni Biosystems was founded in 2003 and has over 20 patents issued with over 13 patent applications pending around the world. The company’s revolutionary technology is based on work developed at Argonne National Laboratory and the Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology and utilizes gel-drop array technologies optimized for medical applications. Supported by a series of government grants and contracts from NIH, CDC, DOE, DOD, NIJ, and NSF, the company has significantly advanced the original technology by improving the system’s capabilities from sample preparation to final result. Commercial products and products in its near-term pipeline include rapid sample preparation methodologies for nucleic acid extraction and multiplex panel assays for detecting multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), upper respiratory infections, viral encephalitis, and hospital-acquired infections (MRSA). For more information on Akonni, please visit www.akonni.com.