NANOIDENT Technologies AG, a leader in the development and
manufacture of printed semiconductor-based optoelectronic sensors
today announced the closing of a multi-party agreement with German
company microfluidic ChipShop to develop a unique airborne pathogen
detection system for the European Defence Agency.
The goal of the project is to develop an autonomous lab-on-a-chip
based system, called the PathoID-Chip, for the detection of airborne
chemical and biological agents. The system will be able to
simultaneously test for multiple pathogens, in a shorter time and with
greater sensitivity than is possible with conventional test methods.
Tests will be completed in minutes and will be repeated every ten
minutes; statistically, this is less time than it should take for a
person to become infected. As a result, the presence of harmful
substances can be detected in minutes and action can then be taken to
reduce exposure.
To achieve these goals, the project combines several novel
technologies to collect a sample from the air, inject it into liquid
process it and perform analysis. Other partners in the project include
Clemens GmbH, Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology
Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute, Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft
mbH, and Bertin Technologies. NANOIDENT´s technology is a core element
of the system, and represents a major advance in point-of-use testing.
Because optoelectronic sensors are printed onto each chip, the system
does not require laboratory handling or bulky, power-hungry, expensive
optical readout equipment, making it much more portable, rugged, and
tolerant of dust than conventional test systems. The proximity of the
sensor to the sample also results in much higher sensitivity than
conventional systems.
"Our unique printed sensor technology makes it possible to develop
a truly mobile detection system, offering faster detection and
minimizing exposure to harmful chemical and biological agents," said
Dr. Max Sonnleitner, VP of NANOIDENT´s Life Sciences division. "We are
proud to contribute a key enabling technology to this innovative
project and to be a part of such an outstanding team."
About NANOIDENT Technologies AG
NANOIDENT--named by Red Herring as one of the world´s 100 leading
technology companies--is the market leader in the development and
manufacture of printed semiconductor-based optoelectronic sensors. The
company´s core technology merges the latest breakthroughs in materials
science and nanotechnology with modern printing techniques to create a
new class of semiconductor devices. The revolutionary SEMICONDUCTOR
2.0(TM) Platform is the basis of the world´s first commercial printed
photonic sensors, enabling a whole new generation of applications in
the industrial, biometric, and life science markets.
NANOIDENT´s high speed, environmentally friendly manufacturing
process utilizes liquid nanomaterials and additive production
techniques. These liquids are used to print electronic circuits on a
wide variety of surfaces, producing products in mere hours for
prototype as well as high volume applications. The company´s printed
semiconductor devices can be bendable, disposable, light, ultrathin
and large area. They have application specific spectral and electronic
properties, and can contain light sources and light detectors as well
as electronic circuits. These unique characteristics enable
cost-effective, custom designed devices for applications such as
industrial, chemical, biological, and biometric sensors.
Privately held, the company is headquartered in Linz, Austria
with subsidiaries in San Francisco, California; Nuremberg, Germany;
and Grenoble, France.
