CombiMatrix launches influenza A detection microarray

By Lisa Kerner

Erie, Pa., Feb. 22 - Acacia Research Corp. said its CombiMatrix group has launched its Influenza A detection and genotyping technology on the CustomArray 4X2K platform.

CombiMatrix's 4X2K Influenza A Research Microarray can detect and accurately type flu strains, including H5N1 bird flu, using a protocol that requires less than four hours from start to finish, according to a company news release.

The cost per test is also much lower than with the earlier CustomArray12K version.

The microarray provides information on mutations and novel strains of flu not yet seen and is designed to work on samples from humans as well as from birds, pigs, horses, dogs, and other animals. Acacia said this array can be employed as an adjunct to existing technology, to type difficult or ambiguous samples of flu, or to study genetic drift in a flu virus as it moves through a population.

The 4X2K Influenza A Research Microarray is priced at $99 per assay to run on both animal and human samples for research use only. While CombiMatrix plans to seek approval from the Food and Drug Administration, the microarray is not yet an FDA-approved product.

"As concerns about influenza grow, CombiMatrix plans to continue to design its products to address this major public health issue," CombiMatrix president and chief executive officer Dr. Amit Kumar said in the release.

The CombiMatrix group, located in Newport Beach, Calif., is developing a platform technology to rapidly produce customizable arrays for use in identifying and determining the roles of genes, gene mutations and proteins.

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