DNA Software Awarded NIH Grant to Improve Probe, Primer Specificity

DNA Software Awarded NIH Grant to Improve Probe and Primer Specificity

Ann Arbor, Michigan – September 29, 2006 – DNA Software has been awarded a fast track grant by the National Institute of Health (NIH) to develop a cutting-edge software prototype, called ThermoBLAST™.

ThermoBLAST™ is a revolutionary new tool that combines the accuracy of DNA Software’s proprietary OMP Nearest Neighbor model with the speed and breadth of the BLAST algorithm to produce a fast yet exhaustive method for genome scale searches. ThermoBLAST™ will be integrated into DNA Software’s OMP™ (Oligonucleotide Modeling Platform™) software resulting in automated design of more specific probes and primers that can be designed more quickly and more economically. ThermoBLAST™ will allow scientists to develop better assays, while saving time and money.

ThermoBLAST™ will make a major positive contribution to the work of public and private researchers worldwide. Scientists who are designing DNA tests to identify or discover the function of important, disease related genes will be able to “test their tests” in a computer, without having to go through the lengthy lab testing process for each assay. The most difficult DNA-based tests are also the most important. There are very small differences between the genetic code of deadly pathogens and harmless microorganisms. ThermoBLAST™ will greatly improve the ability of scientists to design DNA probes that yield consistent conclusive results, and avoid costly false negatives and positives.

This fast track grant, entitled “Development of ThermoBLAST: Improving the Specificity of Probes and Primers,” is scheduled from September 29, 2006 to April 30, 2008.

About DNA Software, Inc.
DNA Software, Inc. combines science and software to enable industrial genomics through advances in technologies based on nucleic acids. The company’s first software platform, OMP™ (Oligonucleotide Modeling Platform™), models in silico the folding and hybridization of single-stranded nucleic acids with great accuracy. The company combines OMP™ with scientific consulting, custom software development, and custom laboratory research to deliver state-of-the-art support for designing and developing of nucleic acid based technologies.