Ionian Technologies Inc. was a United States Biotechnology Company focused on molecular diagnostics development for the detection of infectious diseases and biothreat agents. It was established in 2000 in Upland, California as the first

spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...

company to commercialize technology developed at the

Keck Graduate Institute Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) is a private graduate school in Claremont, California, United States. Founded by Henry Riggs and David Galas in 1997, it is the seventh and newest member of the Claremont Colleges. History Henry Riggs, then p ...

. Since its inception Ionian has expanded its isothermal amplification technology. Ionian was acquired in July 2010 by Alere Inc.

History

Ionian traces its origins to Dr. David J. Galas who was previously co-founder, Chancellor, Chief Scientific Officer and Norris Professor of Applied Life Science at the

(KGI) of Applied Life Sciences. During his development of KGI he spun off Ionian Technologies from work done in his lab, based upon a 2003 PNAS paper. In 2001, Ionian was incorporated in Delaware.

Corporate governance

Current members of the

board of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

of Ionian Technologies are: David J. Galas and Paul Tardif.

Technology

Ionian's proprietary isothermal technology, termed the

Nicking Enzyme Amplification Reaction Nicking Enzyme Amplification Reaction (NEAR) is a method for '' in vitro'' DNA amplification like the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). NEAR is isothermal, replicating DNA at a constant temperature using a polymerase (and nicking enzyme) to expo ...

Assay, is claimed to be capable of amplifying extremely low amounts of starting material to easily detectable levels in just a few minutes. The proprietary technology is based on the very rapid detection of small DNA or RNA fragments generated directly from the target nucleic acid. The amplification products can be detected by a variety of standard methods, including LC-MS, real-time fluorescence, lateral flow and capillary electrophoresis detection. Ionian's assay technology is therefore ideally suited for portable and handheld detectors and sensors.

Mission

Ionian Technologies Inc. describes itself as a private company focused on molecular diagnostics and advanced biomedical research tools based on proprietary isothermal systems for DNA and RNA amplification and detection. This technology is currently focused on the development of products for the medical diagnostics, agricultural (GMO), veterinary, food hygiene and biodefense markets. Ionian has made significant efforts for providing rapid and economical systems for third world countries and have received funding from the

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The Gates Foundation is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was launched in 2000 and is reported to be List of wealthiest charitable foundations, the third largest char ...

to achieve these goals.

External links

About Ionian Technologies

Notes and references