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January 15, 2004

Pathogen Detection Systems acquires exclusive worldwide license rights to innovative water testing technology

For Immediate Release

KINGSTON, ON -- Pathogen Detection Systems, Inc. (PDS), a developer of water-borne bacteria detection technologies, has signed an exclusive, worldwide license to advanced optical and chemical technologies for rapid, automated detection of bacteria in water systems from PARTEQ Innovations, the technology transfer arm of Queen's University.

"We now have the capability to automate a testing process that has traditionally been done manually, says Dr. Stephen Brown, a researcher in Environmental Studies and Chemistry at Queen's and a co-inventor of the technology. "The PDS system provides a higher level of public safety and confidence in our water supply - from municipal systems to bottled water and packaged ice."

The technology was developed as a result of a three-year, $2.5 million research project involving a multidisciplinary group of Queen's researchers, a number of industrial partners, and Ottawa-based Precarn, Inc. The key to the technology is an optical sensor that, when combined with a proprietary chemical compound, allows for fully automated detection of E.coli and total coliform bacteria, eliminating the delays associated with sending water samples to a laboratory for testing.

"This patent pending technology has real depth, with broad patent protection being sought in Canada, U.S. and worldwide," says Dr. Peter Gallant, President of PDS. "The marketplace for products based on this technology is massive, and our objective is to deliver an innovative suite of solutions to market as rapidly as possible." 

Contact:

Dr. Peter Gallant, President
Pathogen Detection Systems, Inc.
Tel: (613) 540-2790
Web: www.pathogendetect.com
E-mail: peter.gallant@pathogendetect.com

Anne Vivian-Scott
Director, Commercial Development
PARTEQ Innovations
Tel: (613) 533-2342
Web: www.parteqinnovations.com
E-mail: avivianscott@parteqinnovations.com