Manufacturer of the Blood Bank Gel TestTM AnnouncesFourth U.S. Patent Issue.

POMPANO BEACH, Fla.--(BW HealthWire)--Feb. 4, 1999--Micro Typing Systems Inc. (MTS) of Pompano Beach, is pleased to announce that another patent relating to its ID-Micro Typing System(tm) product was issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Jan. 26, 1999.

U.S. Patent No. 5,863,802

is directed to a test kit using a microreaction vessel which contains small particles, such as gel particles, and an immunoreactive protein. A serum sample, which may contain an antibody of interest, is added to the microreaction vessel, along with a solution containing red blood cells. Antigens, which are specifically reactive with the antibody of interest, are present on the surface of the red blood cells. After an incubation period, the microreaction vessel is centrifuged and visually observed to determine the location of the red blood cells, which are indicative of the presence or absence of the antibody or antigen of interest.

Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, a division of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is the exclusive distributor in North America for MTS. The above and related patents are owned by Stiftung Fur Diagnostiche Forschung, a Swiss non-profit foundation that has exclusively licensed the patents to MTS and DiaMed AG.