BioTronics

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BioTronics is a biotech company headquartered in Lowell, Massachusetts in the United States. The company is the developer of the AmpliSensor technique and its application to high resolution Polymerase Chain Reaction assays.[1]

The AmpliSensor method is a real-time tool used for the detection and quantitative measurement of DNA by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The test works by detecting fluorescence. It is based on the principle that fluorescence resonance energy transfer can be used to detect duplex formation between complementary nucleic acid strands.[2] Two complementary DNA strands are labeled with donor and acceptor fluorophores, respectively. If the strands come together with base pairing , the fluorescence resonance energy transfer between the fluorophores is facilitated. Therefore, the extent of energy transfer can be used to measure the amount of duplex formation between the two strands and hence the degree to which they are complementary in sequence.[3] It can be used in for a variety of research and clinical purposes, including the detection of a specific pathogen in a blood sample taken from a human patient. For instance, the method has been used successfully for the diagnosis of Hepatitis,[2] tuberculosis,[4] and cytomegalovirus.[5] The test was invented in 1991 by BioTronics' president Cheng Wang.[6] BioTronics received a Unisted States trademark on AmpliSensor in 1996 (U.S. trademark registration number 1958576) and the trademark was declared dead and cancelled on December 2, 2006[7]

Wang is also the president of Acu-Gen, the maker of the Baby Gender Mentor assay kit. The BGM test is marketed for determining the gender of an unborn baby as early as five weeks into a pregnancy.[8] The test works by detecting fetal cells that have entered the mother's bloodstream through fetomaternal microchimerism. The company performs two tests; the first is a quantitative polymerase chain reaction and the other is a proprietary test. The sample is tested for the presence of the Y chromosome, which is present only in males. If there is no Y chromosome, the embryo is female.[9] The test is controversial both because of its claimed 99.9% accuracy and over possible medical ethics questions associated with its use.[10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Acu-Gen and BioTronics share a common headquarters.[11]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Biotronics corporation. Biotech-register.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-19.
  2. ^ a b Ya-Xi Chen, Ai-Long Huang, Zhen-Yuan Qi, Shu-Hua Guo. "Establishment and assessment of two methods for quantitative detection of serum duck hepatitis B virus DNA". World J Gastroenterol (2004 September 15;10(18)): 2666–2669.  ISSN 1007-9327 CN 14-1219/R
  3. ^ Species-specific, genus-specific and universal dna probes and amplification primers to rapidly detect and identify common bacterial and fungal pathogens and associated antibiotic resistance genes from clinical specimens for diagnosis in microbiology labor. FreshPatents.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-19.
  4. ^ Tan Y, Li Y, Tan S (February 21, 1998). "Detection of mycobacterium tuberculosis by AmpliSensor-PCR technique and its clinical application" (in Chinese (with English abstract)): 79–81. Zhonghua Jie He He Hu Xi Za Zhi. 
  5. ^ Rautenberg, P,. ""Evaluation of the AmpliSensor PCR and the SHARP signal detection system for the early prediction of symptomatic CMV infection in solid transplant recipients"". Journal of Clinical Virology, Volume 13, Issue 1-2: 81–94. 
  6. ^ Science behind Baby Gender Test. Retrieved on 2007-01-19.
  7. ^ AmpliSensor. United States Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved on 2007-01-21.
  8. ^ A Total Advantage. Acu-Gen website. Retrieved on 2007-01-16.
  9. ^ O'Crowley, Peggy. "Parents May Welcome Baby Gender Test, But Bioethicists Worry", Newhouse News Service, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-01-16. 
  10. ^ Boyce, Nell. "Critics Question Accuracy of Fetus Sex Test", National Public Radio, 2005-10-29. Retrieved on 2007-01-16. 
  11. ^ a b Boyce, Nell. "Questions Raised Over Accuracy of Gender Test", National Public Radio, 2005-10-20. Retrieved on 2007-01-16. 
  12. ^ White, Donna. "Exclusive: For Sale: Sex of Your Baby - Anger flares over sex over £150 home test", Sunday Mail (UK), October 23, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-01-19. 
  13. ^ "Kit said I'd have a boy.. but my tot's a girl", publisher=Sunday Mail (UK), October 23, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-01-19. 
  14. ^ "Baby Gender Mentor", Fox9 News, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-07-17. 
  15. ^ Langton, James. "Revolutionary foetus sex test raises eugenics fears", Daily Telegraph, 2005-10-07. Retrieved on 2007-01-16. 
  16. ^ Goldschmidt, Debra. "Gender Bender - A new test claims it can determine fetal gender as early as five weeks into pregnancy. Doctors are skeptical.", Newsweek, 2005-10-18. Retrieved on 2007-01-16. 

[edit] Further reading

  • Wang CNJ, Wu KY, and Wang H. (1995) "Quantitative PCR Using the AmpliSensor Assay," in Dieffenbach, CW and Dveksler, GS, eds., PCR Primer: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, pages 193-202.
  • US patent 5348853 "Method for reducing non-specific priming in DNA amplification", Wang CNJ, Wu KY. (1994).
  • US patent 5567583 "Method for reducing non-specific priming in DNA detection", Wang CNJ, Wu KY. (1996).
  • US patent 5712386 "Kits for detecting a nucleic acid with blocking oligonucleotides", Wang CNJ, Wu KY. (1998).
  • US patent 6033854 "Quantitative PCR using blocking oligonucleotides", Kurnit, DM, Chiang PW, Wang CNJ. (2000).
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