Virtek Gets Patent for FONA Technology

WATERLOO, Ontario, Jan. 9 -- Virtek Vision International Inc., a developer of precision laser, automation and biosensor solutions, announced it has received US patent number 6,503,711 for its fiber-optic nucleic acid (FONA) direct-mode detection device and methodology.

FONA's DNA identification technology detects specific genes within a biological sample using a fluorescence-based fiber optic biosensor and a laser-based detection system. The technology provides selective, rapid and sensitive analysis of any genetic material, the company said. Initial applications include testing newborns for genetic disorders and testing water quality.

Virtek has also received a patent for the FONA direct-mode detection device and methodology in New Zealand, and FONA patents are pending in Australia, Canada, China, the European Economic Union, Japan and Mexico.

A team of inventors led by Ulrich Krull of the University of Toronto and Paul Piunno of FONA Technologies Inc. created the concept of FONA technology in 1992. Virtek acquired FONA Technologies Inc. in 2001.

For more information, visit: www.virtek-industrial-lasers.com