Tuesday April 15, 9:08 pm ET
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 15, 2003--Acacia Research Corporation (Nasdaq:ACTG - News; Nasdaq:CBMX - News) announced today that CombiMatrix has designed and fabricated the first microarray based on the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) coronavirus genome published earlier this week. The first microarrays were fabricated within 48 hours of publication of the coronavirus genome sequence believed to be responsible for SARS, underscoring CombiMatrix' ability to rapidly design and build custom microarrays.
Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta and at the Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre in Canada independently announced on Monday that they sequenced the coronavirus genome in an unprecedented 31 days. CombiMatrix technology builds on this momentum by enabling researchers with a fast turnaround custom microarray system. Researchers can now apply this technology to confirm the link between the coronavirus and SARS as well as helping to develop tests to screen for the virus and to develop potential medicines for treating the syndrome.
"Our technology platform is ideally suited to taking new genetic sequence information and fabricating a corresponding microarray so researchers and clinicians have a tool for rapid studies," said Dr. Amit Kumar, President and CEO of CombiMatrix. "This SARS chip is designed using the sequence data published this week. We anticipate that researchers will want to make multiple versions of this chip as we learn more about the virus."
