Morgantown, WV; Zrotea Biosciences Group, Inc. (“Protea”) announced today that the George Washington University has been awarded two additional patents for its LAESI technology platform, for which Protea is the exclusive licensee. The first patent is titled “Laser Ablation Electrospray Ionization (LAESI) for Atmospheric Pressure, In Vivo, and Imaging Mass Spectrometry” (U.S. Patent #8,487,244) and the second patent is titled “Three-Dimensional Molecular Imaging By Infrared Laser Ablation Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry” (U.S. Patent # 8,487,246). Both patents were issued on July 16, 2013.

“We are pleased that these two additional patents have been issued”, commented Steve Turner, Protea’s CEO. “LAESI represents a revolutionary technology to rapidly identify the molecular products of living cells, due to its ability to perform 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional molecular imaging, all without sample preparation or the addition of chemical matrices. Even live cells and bacterial colonies can be analyzed with LAESI. Collectively these capabilities will prove invaluable to pharmaceutical and life science research laboratories worldwide.”

LAESI-MS (Laser Ablation Electrospray Ionization-Mass Spectrometry) was invented in the laboratory of Akos Vertes, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry at the George Washington University and exclusively licensed to Protea. LAESI enables rapidly obtaining mass spectrometry data profiles of biomolecules present in cells. LAESI analysis can be performed on tissue sections identical to those used in traditional histological staining and examination, without the need for sample preparation that can lead to sample loss and contamination. LAESI enables the generation of direct, rapid, and reproducible data, decreasing both the time and cost t obtain mass spectrometric analysis of biological samples.

Protea Biosciences Group, Inc.

Protea is a leader in the field of mass spectrometry molecular imaging – the identification and localization of the molecular products of living cells, that is foundational science for all pharmaceutical, medical, and life science research.

www.proteabio.com

The George Washington University In the heart of the nation’s capital with additional programs in Virginia, the George Washington University was created by an Act of Congress in 1821. Today, GW is the largest institution of higher education in the District of Columbia. The university offers comprehensive programs of undergraduate and graduate liberal arts study, as well as degree programs in medicine, public health, law, engineering, education, business and international affairs. Each year, GW enrolls a diverse population of undergraduate, graduate and professional students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and more than 130 countries.

www.gwu.edu/research-overview