PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--Oct. 12, 2000--SurroMed, Inc. and Quantum Dot Corporation today announced that they have been awarded a $5.6 million grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) under its Advanced Technology Program (ATP). The goal of the program is to develop innovative blood fingerprinting and optical detection technologies. SurroMed and Quantum Dot will develop a novel blood-fingerprinting system, based on SurroMed's microvolume laser scanning cytometry (MLSC) technology and Quantum Dot's light-emitting Qdot(TM) quantum dots, for the rapid and comprehensive analysis of whole blood for cell-surface markers, pathogens, and biologically important soluble factors. By combining SurroMed's MLSC technology for multiparameter analysis with Qdot technology, SurroMed will create a next-generation MLSC instrumentation system with increased sensitivity, speed and multiplexing capabilities. NIST Advanced Technology Program awards are intended to accelerate the development of innovative technologies that promise significant commercial payoffs and widespread benefits for the nation. "SurroMed is pleased to receive this NIST-ATP award to develop a next-generation technology for miniaturized and multiplexed analysis of whole blood samples," said SurroMed CEO, Gordon Ringold, Ph.D. "The MLSC platform is an important component in the suite of advanced technologies that SurroMed is developing and integrating into a platform for comprehensive phenotypic analysis." Quantum Dot CEO, Joel Martin, Ph.D. added, "The infrared Qdot quantum dots that we are developing as part of the NIST grant will be an exceptionally powerful biological assay tool." Founded by biotechnology entrepreneurs Alejandro Zaffaroni, Ph.D; Gordon Ringold, Ph.D.; Isaac Stein and Bala Manian, Ph.D.; SurroMed is developing and applying novel tools and technologies for comprehensive phenotypic analysis and discovery of biological markers. Quantum Dot Corporation was founded in November 1998 by entrepreneurs Joel Martin, Ph.D. and Dr. Manian and is supported by leading venture capital groups, including Schroder Ventures, Versant Ventures, Abingworth Management and Technogen. Quantum Dot Corporation has a powerful new technology, based on Qdot quantum dots, which enable the detection and spectral encoding of biological materials from DNA to proteins. Applications of the technology include drug discovery, diagnostics, genetic analysis, flow cytometry, and high-throughput screening.

Contacts:

Quantum Dot Corporation
Carol Lou
510/887-8775
[email protected]
or
SurroMed, Inc.
John Kollins
650/855-9070
[email protected]