CRADA Awarded Under Recent Rapid Innovation Fund Contract; Project to Demonstrate Hand-held DNA Detection Kits to Drive Adoption of DNA-based Supply Chain Security
STONY BROOK, N.Y. September 12, 2017 – Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. (“Applied DNA”, “the Company”, NASDAQ: APDN), is proud to announce the signing of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (“CRADA”) with the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command’s Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (“ECBC”) to study the commercialization of ECBC’s innovative rapid, in-field DNA microarray technology for use in military and commercial supply chains. ECBC is the nation’s primary Department of Defense (“DoD”) technical research organization for non-medical chemical and biological warfare defense.
Under the terms of the CRADA, a cooperative effort under the recently-announced Defense Logistics Agency Rapid Innovation Fund award secured by Applied DNA in June 2017, ECBC’s subject matter experts and Applied DNA’s science team will cooperatively study the feasibility of commercializing ECBC’s in-field DNA detection technology in varied supply chains. ECBC’s hand-held in-field DNA microarray technology allows for detection of a DNA taggant within a few minutes. The project goal is to demonstrate the system with Applied DNA’s taggants introduced into standard inks or varnishes or onto other surfaces, without the need for DNA amplification or other sample preparation, thus greatly simplifying in-field DNA detection.
“Rapid, hand-held in-field DNA detection has long been a goal of ours and is essential to the long-term growth of our technology platform,” stated Dr. James Hayward, president and CEO of Applied DNA. “We are honored to work with the U.S. Army through ECBC to study the commercialization of the ECBC’s innovative in-field DNA detection technology as a complement to our DNA authentication products for supply chain integrity capable of rapid detection anywhere, anytime, for global supply chains.”
Continued Dr. Hayward, “This mutually beneficial cooperative research and development project parallels our ongoing partnership with several DoD agencies and reflects our continued efforts to commercialize technologies made available under our ongoing DoD R&D contracts. We believe that the ECBC’s technology is extremely promising in this regard and are excited to work alongside it on this next generation data capture.”
About the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command’s Edgewood Chemical Biological Center
ECBC possesses an unrivaled chemical biological research and development infrastructure with scientists, engineers, technicians and specialists located at four different sites in the United States: Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., Pine Bluff, Ark., Rock Island, Ill., and Dugway Proving Ground, Utah.
ECBC has a unique role in technology development that cannot be duplicated by private industry or research universities. It fosters research, development, testing, and application of technologies for protecting warfighters, first responders and the nation from chemical and biological warfare agents. ECBC is currently developing better ways to remotely detect these chemical and biological materials – before the warfighter or first responder ever enters the threat zone. ECBC is also developing a new generation of technologies to counter everything from homemade explosives to biological aerosols to traditional and non-traditional chemical hazards.
About Applied DNA Sciences
Applied DNA is a provider of molecular technologies that enable supply chain security, anti-counterfeiting and anti-theft technology, product genotyping and DNA mass production for diagnostics and therapeutics.
We make life real and safe by providing innovative, molecular-based technology solutions and services that can help protect products, brands, entire supply chains, and intellectual property of companies, governments and consumers from theft, counterfeiting, fraud and diversion. The proprietary DNA-based “CertainT™” platform can be used to identify, tag, test, and track products, to help assure authenticity, origin, traceability, sustainability and quality of products.
SigNature® DNA describes the core technology ingredient that is at the heart of a family of uncopiable, security and authentication solutions such as SigNature® T and fiberTyping®, targeted toward textiles and apparel, BackTrac™ and DNAnet®, for anti-theft and loss prevention, and digitalDNA®, providing powerful track-and-trace. All provide a forensic chain of evidence, and can be used to prosecute perpetrators. Applied DNA Sciences is also engaged in the large-scale production of specific DNA sequences using the polymerase chain reaction.
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The Company’s common stock is listed on NASDAQ under the symbol APDN, and its warrants are listed under the symbol APDNW.
Forward Looking Statements
The statements made by APDN in this press release may be “forward-looking” in nature within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements describe APDN’s future plans, projections, strategies and expectations, and are based on assumptions and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of APDN. Actual results could differ materially from those projected due to our short operating history, limited financial resources, limited market acceptance, market competition and various other factors detailed from time to time in APDN’s SEC reports and filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on December 6, 2016, and our subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed on February 9, 2017, May 11, 2017 and August 10, 2017, which are available at www.sec.gov. APDN, undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date hereof to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, unless otherwise required by law.
Investor contact: Sanjay M. Hurry, LHA Investor Relations, 212-838-3777, shurry@lhai.com
Media: Susan Forman, Dian Griesel Int’l, 212-825-3210, sforman@dgicomm.com
Program Contact: Janice Meraglia, 631-240-8821, janice.meraglia@adnas.com
web: www.adnas.com
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