USPTO issues patent for Metabolon's UHPLC/MSn-based analytical platform

Metabolon, Inc., the leader in metabolomics, biomarker discovery and analysis, announced today the grant of US Patent No. 7,884,318 entitled "Systems, Methods, and Computer-Readable Medium for Determining Composition of Chemical Constituents in a Complex Mixture". The USPTO awarded the patent to Metabolon on February 08, 2011. This is the 14^th patent issued to Metabolon and the third patent in its growing portfolio of technology-related patents.

The newly issued patent claims are directed to Metabolon's UHPLC/MSⁿ-based analytical platform that integrates non-targeted chemical analysis of complex mixtures, including identification and relative quantification, data reduction and quality assurance components of the process and addresses the challenges associated with this type of analyses, such as identification of chemical structures and elimination of experimental artifacts. The ability to perform non-targeted analysis, including initial detection and subsequent recognition of unknown metabolites, has enormous benefits and a broad range of highly useful applications. In addition to answering questions posed by traditional chemical analysis, such as "What is this substance made of?", more sophisticated analyses of biological processes, such as "How is a healthy cell different from a diseased cell?", "How does this medicine affect the cellular process?", "How can the growth of cells in culture be optimized?", and "What is the limiting factor for this bioprocess?" are made possible.

Metabolon is the exclusive license holder of the Daouk-Kristal patent family which is comprised of early, pioneering patents and patent applications which provide fundamental IP in the field of metabolomics. Metabolon's previously issued patents include the use of metabolomics for determining biomarkers for disease, including cancer, metabolic disorders, and neurological disorders such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, Huntington's Disease, depression and schizophrenia, and for evaluating chemical agents for therapeutic effects and toxicity. Metabolon also owns issued patents relating to biomarkers of age and hepatotoxicity as well as to software designed for analyzing metabolomics data.