Policy  

Advance Nanotech joins EC's FLUTEST avian flu project

7 December 2006

New York, USA. The European Commission has selected Advance Nanotech, Inc., (OTCBB:AVNA), to participate in FLUTEST, one of 17 projects in a programme of avian and pandemic influenza research.

Collaborating with the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Advanced Photonics and Electronics (CAPE), Advance Nanotech joins a consortium of elite government labs in Europe, South Africa, and the USA led by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency DEFRA, to develop, evaluate and validate diagnostic tools to aid in the early detection of avian influenza — commonly known as "bird flu".

The European Commission has committed $37.7 million of new projects into avian and pandemic influenza. The new projects cover human and animal health, and address research needs identified by organizations such as the World Health Organization, the World Organization for Animal Health and the Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN. The €28.3 million allocated to these projects comes in addition to the $28 million previously made available by the European Commission.

In parallel with FLUTEST, Advance Nanotech's CAPE BiMAT program, is developing technology to enable first responders — medics, EMTs and doctors — to instantly analyze microscopic amounts of biological material on site. BiMAT technology will eliminate the need to send samples to specialized laboratories, speeding treatment and reducing problems of sample handling, storage, and mislabeling that can cause significant delays in treatment. Advance Nanotech’s BiMAT technology may also be customized for the detection of other diseases such as E. Coli.

"We are honoured that DEFRA and the European Commission recognize the potential of our BiMAT technology to detect, and thus, help control, infectious diseases," said Tony Goncalves, CEO of Advance Nanotech. "In the effort to combat the spread of avian influenza, and infectious disease in general, there is a critical need for inexpensive, field-deployable biosensors. The support received from the European Commission will significantly shorten BiMAT's time-to-market for the surveillance of emerging diseases such as avian influenza in remote locations allowing rapid response and containment of these diseases."

The World Health Organization, the United Nations specialized agency for health, coordinates the global response to human cases of H5N1 avian influenza and monitoring the corresponding threat of an influenza pandemic. Since 2003, the H5N1 virus has killed more than 100 people and millions of birds worldwide, sparking fears that the virus could mutate into a pandemic influenza.

BiMAT is part of Advance Nanotech's Homeland Security Division which includes nanotechnologies providing solutions across two application areas: CBRNE Detection (Chemical, Biological, Radiation, Nuclear, and Explosive), and Wireless Monitoring for cognitive awareness, triage and first response therapy. This division launched its first product earlier this year, recently reported revenues for the first time and has a customer base across the defence and industrial process control industries.

More information on EC avian flu projects >>

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