NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) - Nanobiosym, a Massachusetts company that is developing a diagnostic tool that blends nanotechnology and genomics, said on Friday that it has received a $2 million contract from the United States Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
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The company plans to use the contract to validate the use of its technology, called Gene-RADAR, which it has been developing with its commercial partner, Nanobiosym Diagnostics.
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Nanobiosym describes Gene-RADAR as a "nanotechnology-enabled platform, that can rapidly and accurately detect genetic fingerprints from any biological organism."
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The DTRA, a branch of the US Department of Defense, is focused on reducing the threat of biological warfare and bioterrorism
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According to its website, Nanobiosym aims to "create breakthrough scientific insights and revolutionary technologies that emerge from the convergence of physics, nanotechnology, and biomedicine."
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The company was founded in 2004 and has received funding from the US Defense Advance Research Project Agency, the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the US Department of Energy.
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Nanobiosym is also developing Gene-RADAR to "address unmet needs in the developing world, where the lack of basic infrastructure often precludes effective diagnostics," the company said.