Gryphus Announces Issuance of U.S. Patent on Sialidase Technology Platform; Applications in Diagnosis and Prognosis of Infectious Disease

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Gryphus Diagnostics, LLC, a leading developer of technologies and products for the diagnosis of infectious disease, today announced the recent issuance of a U.S. patent covering its sialidase technology platform. Patent No. 6,512,100 covers a series of chromogenic substrate compounds for sialidases of bacterial, viral, protozoa, and vertebrate (including human) origin and methods of diagnosis and prognosis of sialidase-related diseases using these substrate compounds.

Patent No. 6,512,100 is currently employed in Gryphus' BVBLUE product, the company's FDA released and internationally distributed product used to detect vaginal fluid sialidase associated with Bacterial Vaginosis (BV).

BV, the most common form of infectious vaginitis, accounts for approximately 50 million annual patient visits worldwide and has been strongly associated with pre-term birth, delivery of a low-birth-weight infant, post-surgical infections, as well as an increased risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Women with BV typically exhibit 100- to 1,000-fold increased levels of pathogenic bacteria, including those that secrete sialidase, in their vaginal fluid compared with healthy controls.

"The issuance of this patent significantly expands Gryphus' intellectual property position and further strengthens our market strategy of providing innovative technologies and products for the reliable, cost-effective, and rapid diagnosis and management of infectious disease," says Stephen C. Johnson, PhD, co-founder and president of Gryphus Diagnostics. "We have an extensive product pipeline under development utilizing this patented technology platform in diagnostic products for infectious disease including products for periodontal disease, influenza virus and T. cruzi infection."

Gryphus Diagnostics, LLC, is an emerging biotechnology company specializing in the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of rapid, point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tests for infectious disease, especially those related to women's health. Gryphus' products are available worldwide for use in physician's offices, hospitals, and clinical laboratories through a network of established distributors and licensees.

Source: Gryphus Diagnostics, LLC