Nov 3 2014
Today BCR Diagnostics, Inc. announced the discovery of “Fiber-based Internal Reflection” (FiBIR™), an unprecedented optical phenomenon poised to revolutionize the growing field of fluorescence-based testing. The technology has demonstrated a 50-fold amplification of fluorescent signal making it exceptionally sensitive and cost-effective.
“FiBIR technology will drive development of next-generation fluorometers to be used across the life science industry in applications ranging from live cell imaging, to PCR, ELISA and Next Generation Sequencing,” says Dr. Boris Rotman, BCR’s Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer. “BCR plans to offer royalty-based, non-exclusive licenses for both R&D and marketing.”
“In our prototype fluorometer,” Rotman adds, “FiBIR™ occurs in a proprietary cartridge designed to hold a 12-µl sample. We envision other physical configurations, such as automated fluorometers using FiBIR™ cartridges for nanoliter samples as well as multi-sample cartridges for high-throughput analysis. BCR estimates FiBIR™ fluorometers will retail under $1,000.”
Distinguishing features of FiBIR™ amplification include highly efficient use of excitation light and quantification of fluorescence by digital imaging.
About BCR
Founded in 1994, BCR Diagnostics, Inc. has been pioneering development of transformative technologies that advance fluorescence-based detection platforms. The R&D leading to the FiBIR™ fluorometer was partially supported by an SBIR Phase I award from the National Institutes of Health.