U.S. Patents Issued for Akonni Biosystems' Novel Thermal Cycling Technology

FREDERICK, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Akonni Biosystems, a developer of nucleic acid extraction products that are 2-fold to 5-fold faster than industry gold standards, and low-cost mid-multiplex platforms for genetic testing, announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued two patents for its novel method for amplifying nucleic acids using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). U.S. Patent Nos. 8,329,433 and 8,334,117 describe a rapid thermal cycling approach for PCR applications that is virtually independent of reaction chamber geometry. The approach exploits the efficient convective heat transfer mode using a recirculating liquid that expands a flexible film and can perform 45 PCR cycles in 25 minutes. These patents protect Akonni's pioneering approach to thermal cycling and give companies an alternative to the conductive heating of Peltier devices commonly used by leading manufacturers such as Life Technologies (LIFE), Bio-Rad (BIO), Roche (RO) and Cepheid (CPHD).