Biotech, biopharma, academic and government laboratories worldwide, many led by recognized Key Opinion Leaders (“KOLs”), depending on PBI’s unique Pressure Cycling Technology (“PCT”) systems for standardized, high-throughput, efficient, and reproducible sample preparation (a critical function prior to analysis). These laboratories focus their research efforts in diverse, exciting, and important areas, such as vaccine & drug development, cancer diagnostics, and treatment guidance, and in the detection, prevention, and cure of infectious diseases – such as viral hepatitis and COVID-19.
PBI’s PCT systems are comprised of two major, interdependent components: the pressure cycling instrument and the consumable that contains and delivers the cycled pressure to the sample. The just patented PCT MicroPestle (the “PCT MP”) is PBI’s most important and popular consumable. Its unique construction seals and protects the sample while flexing to transfer immense pressures. This facilitates homogenization and precise physical and chemical preparation of minute biological samples, such as needle biopsies, small suspensions of cells, and/or laser micro-dissected tissue sections. The PCT MP is made of inert fluoropolymer material, which enables stability throughout a very broad temperature range, as well as excellent resistance to aggressive chemicals. It’s extremely low surface binding characteristics allow the PCT MP to preserve and maximize the availability of each sample’s precious molecules, which could include important biomarkers to be discovered for disease diagnosis or for critical prognostic decisions on treatment selection and guidance.
Ms. Roxana McCloskey, PBI’s Global Director of Sales and Marketing, said: “We have many customers worldwide who routinely use our PCT Micro-Pestle consumable in their research studies. These include Professor Phil Robinson and his team at the Children’s Medical Research Institute in Australia (processing 70,000 tumor samples, looking for prognostic and diagnostic markers in cancer), and Dr. Tiannan Guo and his team at Westlake University in China (studying thyroid cancer and COVID-19). The PCT MP is also a critical part of the innovative laser microdissection tumor processing workflow developed by Dr. Tom Conrads of the Inova Health System in the U.S. This important new tumor processing method promises significant improvements in the clinical management of most solid tumor cancers. His novel workflow is the basis of our major co-marketing collaboration recently announced with Leica Microsystems (a Danaher Company). It is clear why we see this award of the PCT MP patent as a critical milestone in securing our pivotal intellectual property around the PCT system, and another important driver toward accelerated adoption of PCT in biological sample preparation markets. We expect to take full advantage of this opportunity and further boost our sales.”
Dr. Alexander Lazarev, PBI’s Chief Scientific Officer, said: “This long-anticipated patent is an exciting endorsement of our efforts to transform biological sample preparation. Our PCT sample preparation workflows have been adopted not only in biomarker discovery and cancer research, but they are now advancing into enormous opportunities in clinical applications. More recently, PCT is now opening major opportunities in the biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing markets, ranging from protein characterization and quality control to bioprocess development, protein refolding, and formulations development. Single-use MicroPestle consumables enable research in all of these markets, and this powerful new dimension to our patent-protected portfolio should help us to secure and accelerate the growth of our business.”