SAN DIEGO, Dec. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Menon Biosensors, a molecular biochemistry company that provides DNA analysis for the diagnosis of biological pathogens, today announced that its nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology successfully detected Yersinia pestis, also known as the plague, in more than 2,200 samples without any false positives or negatives.

In the studies conducted over a six year period, Menon Biosensors' platform technology was able to detect the presence of Yersinia pestis in water, air, blood, sputum, urine and stool. Concentrations were as low as from 1 colony-forming unit (CFU) per sample, with a limit of detection in the range of 1-100 CFU/mL and a dynamic range of 1-10^9 CFU/mL.  Analyzing low level samples required minimal preparation time, and including measurement was completed in less than one hour. Menon Biosensors is currently conducting validation studies at Scripps La Jolla in Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (TB), with data expected in early 2014.

"Having reviewed the new diagnostic technology, process and assay data generated using Menon Biosensors' technology in identifying several well-known pathogens, I believe this technology provides a foundation to achieve a more facile, next-generation DNA diagnostic platform," said John Spinosa, M.D., Ph.D., pathologist at Scripps La Jolla. "Menon Biosensors' technology has significant implications in molecular biochemistry diagnostic applications for improving patient care and outcomes in an affordable and streamlined manner."

Added David Schlotterbeck, chairman of Menon Biosensors, "This data demonstrates that our technology can more accurately and rapidly detect a biological pathogen compared to currently available tests, and with higher sensitivity. With our upcoming data in C. difficile and TB, we plan to demonstrate that it can be easily and accurately applied to different pathogens with assays developed in less than six months."

Menon Biosensors' platform technology has been validated through multiple studies with the U.S. government's Biodefense Program. In these studies, conducted in more than 3,000 samples over a six year period, the technology demonstrated greater than 99 percent accuracy. The tests were conducted in the presence of interferants and near neighbors of the pathogens to be detected. 

By providing accurate results in less than one hour from the time a sample is collected, Menon Biosensors' platform technology allows medical professionals to quickly treat a pathogen with the appropriate and potentially life-saving therapeutic. Current diagnosis techniques for many pathogens require several hours to multiple days for accurate detection, depending on the pathogen, which limits treatment options early in the patient's care.

The platform technology is portable and available in both manual and continuous configurations.  Operating the portable system requires less than 10 watts of electricity, which enables operation off of a battery.  The system size is less than a cubic foot and weighs less than 10 pounds.  Reagents used in the assays are lyophilized, allowing them to be stored at room temperature for more than one year without jeopardizing the effectiveness of the test. 

About Menon Biosensors

Menon Biosensors is a molecular biochemistry company that provides DNA analysis for the diagnosis of biological pathogens. Menon Biosensors' microfluidics and NMR platform technology provides superior sensitivity and specificity and minimizes sample preparation, thereby providing best in class sample-to-answer pathogen detection.  The technology has been validated by respected third parties in more than 3,000 samples over six years.

SOURCE Menon Biosensors