Pressure BioSciences, Inc (PBI) has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (US AMRIID).

Researchers at US AMRIID have recently shown that the use of the company's patented pressure cycling technology (PCT) with patent-pending chemical reagents (ProteoSolve-SB) has resulted in the simultaneous decontamination and extraction of macromolecules (DNA, RNA, proteins, lipids) as well as small molecules from samples containing infectious pathogens.

The purpose of this CRADA is to adapt PCT into protocols for the development of medical countermeasures against dangerous pathogens that endanger the war fighter. The CRADA will allow scientists from PBI and US AMRIID to combine resources, experiences, and expertise to help achieve this important goal, a Pressure BioSciences press release said

Dr Chunquin Li, applications scientist for Pressure BioSciences, said, "The decontamination and extraction of biomolecules from samples containing dangerous infectious pathogens for subsequent analysis is essential to the development of improved therapies, vaccines, and diagnostics needed to protect soldiers, emergency responders, and others against possible exposure to biological threat agents."

Dr Nathan Lawrence, vice president of Marketing at PBI commented, "Research on dangerous pathogens takes place within specially engineered BioSafety Level (BSL) -3 or -4 suites. A rapid procedure to completely decontaminate macromolecules enables the transfer of samples out of containment suites where further studies are more easily conducted. While traditional methods for decontamination have been proven safe, they often render biological samples unsuitable for modern, state-of-the-art bio-molecular analysis. Researchers at USAMRIID have demonstrated that PCT coupled with ProteoSolve-SB can kill infectious agents, without significant adverse effects on the subsequent testing and analysis of macromolecules. This was an important advancement, since some macromolecular assays cannot be readily performed in BSL containment. These findings warranted further testing."

Richard T Schumacher, founder, president, and CEO of Pressure BioSciences, said, "We believe that data generated under the CRADA could significantly accelerate and enhance current research studies involving infectious or dangerous agents. Such improvements could be of great importance to US AMRIID investigators, as well as to all scientists, whether military or in the public or private sector, who are working to develop more effective tools to counter bio-terrorism. In addition, the knowledge gained from research performed under this CRADA may be of great importance to the many laboratories around the world working on the development of improved medical protections - including diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines - against infectious diseases not related to biological threat agents."