BioTronics
Encyclopedia
BioTronics is a biotech company headquartered in Lowell, Massachusetts
in the United States
. The company is the developer of the AmpliSensor technique and its application to high resolution Polymerase Chain Reaction
assays.
The AmpliSensor method is a real-time tool used for the detection and quantitative
measurement of DNA
by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The test works by detecting fluorescence
. It is based on the principle that fluorescence resonance energy transfer can be used to detect duplex formation between complementary nucleic acid strands. Two complementary DNA strands are labeled with donor and acceptor fluorophore
s, respectively. If the strands come together with base pairing, the fluorescence resonance energy transfer between the fluorophores is facilitated. Therefore, the extent of energy transfer can be used to measure the amount of duplex formation between the two strands and hence the degree to which they are complementary in sequence. It can be used in for a variety of research and clinical purposes, including the detection of a specific pathogen
in a blood
sample taken from a human
patient. For instance, the method has been used successfully for the diagnosis
of Hepatitis
, tuberculosis
, and cytomegalovirus
. The test was invented in 1991 by BioTronics' president Cheng Wang. BioTronics received a United States trademark
on AmpliSensor in 1996 (U.S. trademark registration number 1958576) and the trademark was declared dead and cancelled on December 2, 2006
Wang is also the president of Acu-Gen, the maker of the Baby Gender Mentor
assay kit. The BGM test is marketed for determining the gender
of an unborn baby as early as five weeks into a pregnancy
. The test works by detecting fetal cells that have entered the mother's bloodstream through fetomaternal microchimerism. The company performs two tests; the first is a quantitative polymerase chain reaction and the other is a proprietary test. The sample is tested for the presence of the Y chromosome
, which is present only in males. If there is no Y chromosome
, the embryo is female
. The test is controversial both because of its claimed 99.9% accuracy and over possible medical ethics
questions associated with its use. Acu-Gen and BioTronics share a common headquarters.
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The company is the developer of the AmpliSensor technique and its application to high resolution Polymerase Chain Reaction
Polymerase chain reaction
The polymerase chain reaction is a scientific technique in molecular biology to amplify a single or a few copies of a piece of DNA across several orders of magnitude, generating thousands to millions of copies of a particular DNA sequence....
assays.
The AmpliSensor method is a real-time tool used for the detection and quantitative
Quantitative property
A quantitative property is one that exists in a range of magnitudes, and can therefore be measured with a number. Measurements of any particular quantitative property are expressed as a specific quantity, referred to as a unit, multiplied by a number. Examples of physical quantities are distance,...
measurement of DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The test works by detecting fluorescence
Fluorescence
Fluorescence is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation of a different wavelength. It is a form of luminescence. In most cases, emitted light has a longer wavelength, and therefore lower energy, than the absorbed radiation...
. It is based on the principle that fluorescence resonance energy transfer can be used to detect duplex formation between complementary nucleic acid strands. Two complementary DNA strands are labeled with donor and acceptor fluorophore
Fluorophore
A fluorophore, in analogy to a chromophore, is a component of a molecule which causes a molecule to be fluorescent. It is a functional group in a molecule which will absorb energy of a specific wavelength and re-emit energy at a different wavelength...
s, respectively. If the strands come together with base pairing, the fluorescence resonance energy transfer between the fluorophores is facilitated. Therefore, the extent of energy transfer can be used to measure the amount of duplex formation between the two strands and hence the degree to which they are complementary in sequence. It can be used in for a variety of research and clinical purposes, including the detection of a specific pathogen
Pathogen
A pathogen gignomai "I give birth to") or infectious agent — colloquially, a germ — is a microbe or microorganism such as a virus, bacterium, prion, or fungus that causes disease in its animal or plant host...
in a blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
sample taken from a human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
patient. For instance, the method has been used successfully for the diagnosis
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is the identification of the nature and cause of anything. Diagnosis is used in many different disciplines with variations in the use of logics, analytics, and experience to determine the cause and effect relationships...
of Hepatitis
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a medical condition defined by the inflammation of the liver and characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from the Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation"...
, tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, and cytomegalovirus
Cytomegalovirus
Cytomegalovirus is a viral genus of the viral group known as Herpesviridae or herpesviruses. It is typically abbreviated as CMV: The species that infects humans is commonly known as human CMV or human herpesvirus-5 , and is the most studied of all cytomegaloviruses...
. The test was invented in 1991 by BioTronics' president Cheng Wang. BioTronics received a United States trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
on AmpliSensor in 1996 (U.S. trademark registration number 1958576) and the trademark was declared dead and cancelled on December 2, 2006
Wang is also the president of Acu-Gen, the maker of the Baby Gender Mentor
Baby Gender Mentor
Baby Gender Mentor is the trade name of a controversial blood test designed for prenatal sex discernment, that is, to determine whether a pregnant woman is carrying a male or female child. The test is made by Acu-Gen Biolab, Inc., a biotech company in Lowell, Massachusetts, United States, and is...
assay kit. The BGM test is marketed for determining the gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
of an unborn baby as early as five weeks into a pregnancy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
. The test works by detecting fetal cells that have entered the mother's bloodstream through fetomaternal microchimerism. The company performs two tests; the first is a quantitative polymerase chain reaction and the other is a proprietary test. The sample is tested for the presence of the Y chromosome
Y chromosome
The Y chromosome is one of the two sex-determining chromosomes in most mammals, including humans. In mammals, it contains the gene SRY, which triggers testis development if present. The human Y chromosome is composed of about 60 million base pairs...
, which is present only in males. If there is no Y chromosome
Y chromosome
The Y chromosome is one of the two sex-determining chromosomes in most mammals, including humans. In mammals, it contains the gene SRY, which triggers testis development if present. The human Y chromosome is composed of about 60 million base pairs...
, the embryo is female
Female
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
. The test is controversial both because of its claimed 99.9% accuracy and over possible medical ethics
Medical ethics
Medical ethics is a system of moral principles that apply values and judgments to the practice of medicine. As a scholarly discipline, medical ethics encompasses its practical application in clinical settings as well as work on its history, philosophy, theology, and sociology.-History:Historically,...
questions associated with its use. Acu-Gen and BioTronics share a common headquarters.
Further reading
- Wang CNJ, Wu KY, and Wang H. (1995) "Quantitative PCR Using the AmpliSensor Assay," in Dieffenbach, CW and Dveksler, GS, eds., PCR Primer: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, pages 193-202. "Method for reducing non-specific priming in DNA amplification", Wang CNJ, Wu KY. (1994). "Method for reducing non-specific priming in DNA detection", Wang CNJ, Wu KY. (1996). "Kits for detecting a nucleic acid with blocking oligonucleotides", Wang CNJ, Wu KY. (1998). "Quantitative PCR using blocking oligonucleotides", Kurnit, DM, Chiang PW, Wang CNJ. (2000).