Press Release
Abbott Wins Top Honor in Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Awards
September 15, 2009
Abbott Park, Illinois — Abbott announced today it has been named the overall
Gold winner of the 2009 Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Awards
for its Ibis T5000 Biosensor system, which is designed to detect and
characterize a broad range of infectious agents in a given sample, including
viruses, bacteria and fungi.
"Abbott is dedicated to pursuing innovation to find meaningful solutions
that improve lives," said Stafford O'Kelly, head of Abbott's molecular
diagnostics business. "This technology represents scientific innovation at
its very best, and Abbott is honored to receive this important award."
Abbott's Ibis system (now marketed under the PLEX-ID trade name) was singled
out for the top honor, in part, because it promises to alert health officials
to new disease strains, and may also guard against bioterrorism and enable
hospitals to identify antibiotic-resistant bacteria in its environment.
The Wall Street Journal reports that since the first system was
completed in 2005, the technology has "been deployed in 20 sites around the
U.S., including the Centers for Disease Control. This spring, the device helped
the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego to identify the first two cases
of the H1N1 swine flu in the U.S."
The PLEX-ID is a high-throughput technology based on a combination of
molecular technologies, including polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and mass
spectrometry analysis. The system is designed to address a significant unmet
need by providing test results in six to seven hours instead of three or more
days as required with current culturing methods.
PLEX-ID is currently intended for research use only and not for use in
diagnostic procedures. It is capable of identifying virtually all bacteria,
viruses and fungi, and can provide information about drug resistance, virulence
and strain type of these agents. Commercial applications for the system include
epidemiologic surveillance, monitoring of pandemic diseases, identification of
emerging or previously unknown agents, forensic characterization of human
samples, identification of sources of hospital-associated infections. Abbott is
currently developing the system for human infectious disease diagnostics.
About Abbott
Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the
discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and
medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company
employs more than 72,000 people and markets its products in more than 130
countries.
Media:
Don Braakman |
(847) 937-0080 |
