Salt Lake City, UT — August 14, 2003
— BioMicro® Systems, Inc. announces the issuance of
two patents that extend and enhance the protection of
its microfluid control technology. The newly patented
technology will be used to expand fluid handling and
sample preparation in future generations of the company’s
MAUI® Microarray Hybridization System, and will find
application in laboratory instruments, diagnostic devices,
and consumer products.
“This technology makes it possible to reduce sample
and reagent volumes and perform multiple analyses in
parallel, allowing our customers to reduce costs while
increasing throughput,” said Dr. Michael R. McNeely,
BioMicro’s Chief Technical Officer. “Our recently issued
patents confirm the value of our proprietary passive
fluid handling technology and strengthen our intellectual
property position.”
U.S. Patent 6,591,852, which issued on July 15, 2003,
and U.S. Patent 6,601,613, which issued August 5, 2003,
both entitled “Fluid circuit components based upon passive
fluid dynamics”, broaden coverage of the passive fluid
control technology protected by U.S. Patent No. 6,296,020,
which issued October 2, 2001. The ‘020 patent claims
fluid circuit structures incorporating passive valves
that utilize capillary forces to direct fluid movement,
and methods of their use. The ’613 patent covers a broader
range of fluid circuit structures incorporating passive
valving, while the ‘852 patent extends coverage to a
broader range of passive valve structures, including
‘burst valves’.
BioMicro’s microfluidic technologies permit complex
fluid handling to be achieved in low-cost, easily manufactured
plastic microfluidic devices. In contrast to microfluidic
devices that utilize electrokinetics or mechanical valves
to control fluid movement, BioMicro’s technologies rely
on the use of off-chip pressure sources and capillary
forces to control fluid movement. This enables the microfluidic
devices themselves to be simple and inexpensive to manufacture.
About BioMicro Systems, Inc.: BioMicro Systems, Inc.
(www.biomicro.com) is a private company founded in 1997
focused on the development and commercialization of
biological research products based on its proprietary
fluid handling technologies.
Contacts:
James Kuo, M.D., M.B.A.
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
BioMicro Systems, Inc.
Phone: 801-303-1470
E-mail:
jkuo@biomicro.com
Eleanor V. Goodall, Ph.D.
Dir. Intellectual Property & Technology Development
BioMicro Systems, Inc.
Phone: 801-303-1470
E-mail:
evg@biomicro.com
BioMicro Systems, Inc.
1290 West 2320 South • Suite D • Salt Lake City, UT
• 84119-1476 • USA
801.303.1470 • FAX 801.303.1471 
