Akonni Launches TruTip™ Kits for Rapid Nucleic Acid Extraction

Ground-breaking approach delivers inhibitor-free, PCR-ready nucleic acid
from large volume samples in less than 4 minutes

FREDERICK, MD. – November 3, 2009 – Akonni Biosystems, a molecular diagnostic (MDx) company focused on providing rapid and highly scalable solutions for research and infectious disease testing, today announced the worldwide launch of their TruTip product line for extracting DNA and RNA from samples with volumes ranging from 100 µl to 1000 µl or more.

The patented TruTip approach uses a nucleic acid binding matrix that is easily inserted into most standard pipette tips, including those used by electronic pipettes and liquid handling robotic devices. By passing sample back and forth across the binding matrix, in a few short steps TruTip delivers inhibitor-free, PCR-ready nucleic acid from a variety of sample types, including blood, plasma, sputum, urine, and challenging matrices such as soil or water. The platform works equally well with both DNA and RNA isolated from viruses, bacteria or animals.

“The TruTip approach is truly groundbreaking in that it is 10-fold faster than current methods and doesn’t require centrifugation, spin column, or magnetic bead separation,” stated Dr. David Pawlowski, Senior Research Scientist at CUBRC, Inc. and Research Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Dr. Pawlowski adds, “Productivity is easily increased by an order of magnitude compared to other techniques as TruTip simplifies one of the most difficult parts of the molecular assay process – reliably and rapidly extracting inhibitor free, PCR-ready material.”

The TruTip product line currently includes kits for genomic DNA, microbial DNA, and RNA extraction from a variety of sample sources. Additional products are in the development pipeline for release in early 2010. A video demonstrating TruTip’s easy and rapid extraction process using a RAININ 200-2000μL EDP3-Plus Advanced Electronic Pipette with LTS (manufactured by Rainin Instrument LLC, a Mettler Toledo company) is available for viewing at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXcjKXYc7AQ.

“The development of highly extensible, point-of-care diagnostics for rapidly detecting serious infectious diseases is critical to improving global healthcare and mitigating the risk of pandemic outbreaks,” says Charles Daitch, Ph.D., CEO at Akonni Biosystems. “By combining TruTips’ rapid nucleic acid extraction approach with our scalable TruDx microarray platform capable of testing for tens to hundreds of diseases at one time, Akonni Biosystems is well-poised to take a leadership position in delivering the next-generation of rapid, low-cost molecular diagnostic solutions.”

Dr. Ken Coleman, Chief Scientific Officer at Novexel, a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel antibiotics designed to overcome the significant global problem of microbial resistance, adds, “Akonni’s ability to rapidly develop and deploy panel tests for a wide range of highly infectious diseases gives it a distinctive advantage compared to other approaches on the market today.”

Akonni Biosystems was founded in 2003 and has over 20 patents issued with 13 others pending. The company’s core 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 developing 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. Products in its near-term pipeline include multiplex panel assays for detecting multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, upper respiratory infections, encephalitis, and hospital-acquired infections.

Akonni products are currently for research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

For more information please visit www.akonni.com.