Great Basin Receives Patents for Company's Sample-to-Result Molecular Diagnostic Testing Technology

SALT LAKE CITY, March 31, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Great Basin Scientific, Inc. (NASDAQ: GBSN and GBSNU), a molecular diagnostics company, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a notice of allowance for patent 8,936,921 for the Company's method of isothermal helicase-dependent amplification (HDA) using blocked primers (bp), or "bpHDA." bpHDA creates a highly specific "hot-start" functionality which increases the amplification speed, improves assay sensitivity and expands multiplex capabilities of Great Basin's sample-to-result molecular diagnostic testing technology. bpHDA is the basis of the Company's Clostridium difficile (C. diff) molecular diagnostic test assay.

This newly issued patent further enhances the Company's patent family, which includes U.S. patent 8,637,250 (issued Jan. 28, 2014) for systems and methods for point-of-care amplification and detection of polynucleotides covering isothermal amplification using HDA on the surface of chips. This patent permits future simplification of Great Basin's chip technology which would further lower costs, increase speed, and potentially allow for a field-deployable approach for molecular diagnostics. U.S. patent 8,574,833 (issued on Nov. 5, 2013) covers methods and compositions for amplifying a detectable signal. The method, termed AMPED, is a cost-effective approach for direct detection of pathogens present in clinical samples such as blood, lung aspirates, urine, stool and swabs at low levels without the requirement of PCR-based target amplification.  Great Basin asserts that by eliminating the amplification step used in other methods, their technology has the potential to provide faster results at a lower cost.

"We believe that with these patents, Great Basin offers a platform for molecular diagnostics unlike any currently available system," said Ryan Ashton, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Great Basin. "Using one system, our technology is capable of answering both the 'What is it?' question, answered by a low-cost, low-plex assay, and the 'What is causing it?' question, identified by a multi-plex panel. We contend this will allow hospital labs to invest in fewer systems while providing more answers with an easy-to-use and cost effective system."

About Great Basin Scientific
Great Basin Scientific is a molecular diagnostics company that commercializes breakthrough chip-based technologies.  The Company is dedicated to the development of simple, yet powerful, sample-to-result technology and products that provide fast, multiple-pathogen diagnoses of infectious diseases. The Company's vision is to make molecular diagnostic testing so simple and cost-effective that every patient will be tested for every serious infection, reducing misdiagnoses and significantly limiting the spread of infectious disease. More information can be found on the Company's website at www.gbscience.com. 

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release may be deemed to be forward-looking statements, which are subject to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding our potential future growth. Forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially. These risk and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: (i) our limited operating history and history or losses; (ii) our ability to develop and commercialize new products and the timing of commercialization; (iii) our ability to obtain capital when needed; and (iv) other risks set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risks set forth in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the quarter ended December 31, 2014. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and Great Basin Scientific specifically disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

Media Contact:
Tony Russo, Ph.D. or Todd Davenport, Ph.D.
Russo Partners, LLC
212.845.4251
[email protected]
[email protected]

Investor Relations Contact:
Bob Yedid
ICR
646.277.1250
[email protected]

SOURCE Great Basin Scientific, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.gbscience.com