Recordpub.com - $6.7 million goes to KSU, NEOUCOM Money to be used to develop pathogen detection system

By Dave O'Brien

Record-Courier staff writer

Researchers from the Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy and Kent State University have been awarded $6.7 million by the state and other sources to develop, manufacture and commercialize a real-time pathogen detection system with applications in water quality testing, medical diagnosis and homeland security initiatives.

A group of NEOUCOM staff, including principal investigator Gary Niehaus, went to Columbus to accept the grant Thursday. An associate professor of physiology at NEOUCOM, Niehaus said the technology was invented by himself and his NEOUCOM and KSU research colleagues nearly a decade ago.

Other researchers involved in developing the pathogen detection system include KSU biological science professor Christopher Woolverton, KSU Liquid Crystal Institute Director Oleg Lavrentovich, NEOUCOM associate professor of anatomy Kathleen Doane, former NEOUCOM researcher Steven Signs and Summa Health System Director of Surgical Research Steven Schmidt.

The award includes a $3 million Wright Project grant from the Ohio Department of Development and $3.7 million in matching funds from other sources, according to NEOUCOM. Niehaus, associate professor of physiology at NEOUCOM, said researchers will continue to develop the technology in Portage County and within 18 to 24 months start manufacturing the device at KSU's Centennial Research Park, located at the intersection of S.R. 59 and S.R. 261 in Franklin Township.

NEOUCOM and KSU have licensed the pathogen detection technology to Pathogen Systems Inc. of Boulder, Colo. Using their research, PSI will establish manufacturing, sales and marketing operations in Northeastern Ohio within the next 18 months, creating new jobs.

To explain how the technology works, Niehaus said to visualize human antibodies -- the body's natural defense system against infection -- as Y-shaped molecules, with each branch of the Y able to attach to a specific bacteria. The antibody attaches to a bacterial invader, forming a "clump," he said.

A polarized light shined through a liquid crystal matrix and the bacteria/virus will either transmit the light when pathogens are present or not when they are not present.

"If there's a formation of the (clump) with the bacteria, it distorts the liquid crystal and we can count the light spots," Niehaus said.

The state grant "basically provided the money that will create a research laboratory at NEOUCOM so that we can continue the development work in support of the process and create a sales and manufacturing facility," he said. The technology will be useful to anyone who requires rapid detection of bacteria or viruses, such as healthcare professionals, those who test water quality and homeland security agencies dealing with terrorist events or potential threats.

"Southern California beaches, they do about 40 percent of the testing for water quality in the United States. And it has applications for all of the north coast, those beaches on Lake Erie that are closed every so often for contamination. If they close a beach, this technology means they can test the water at fairly regular intervals so they can open that beach as soon as it's safe," instead of having to send a sample to be cultured, Niehaus said.

The ultimate market would be the local doctor's office, he said.

"We intend for this system to be sufficiently simple enough that any nurse could run it," Niehaus said. "They run the test and within 30 minutes the doctor would know specifically what the pathogen is and make sure the individual, when they leave, would have the correct medication."

KSU officials -- including Vice President for Research John West and Greg Wilson, KSU's associate vice president for economic development and strategic partnerships -- applauded the way the two institutions came together to create a marketable use for the technology.

"We are pleased to have PSI as a key tenant in our Centennial Research Park and business accelerator. PSI possesses innovative technology and is poised for great things scientifically and commercially. Kent State looks forward to the acceleration of their success," Wilson said.

Niehaus said the research NEOUCOM does often results in improvements to the quality of life and healthcare provided to Ohioans.

"I think often it isn't clear to folks that a lot of the research we do often results in things that improve the quality of life and healthcare of individuals," he said. "In this case it also will increase the quality of life because of increased employment opportunities. This is really a home run because all of the things we wanted to do really came through on it."