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Contact: Greg Zerovnik
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Ionian Technologies Inc. Presses Ahead with the development of an advanced rapid Bio-threat Detection System

The firm continues to receive funding for the development of its biothreat detection assay systems

SAN BERNARDINO, December 8, 2006 – Ionian Technologies, a five-year-old small business in Upland, California, is partnered with Northrop Grumman Corp. to develop a portable advanced biothreat security system. Ionian contributes its proprietary nucleic acid assay systems for the development of a handheld isothermal silver standard sensor (HISSS), a system to be used for identifying biothreat agents, such as bacteria and viruses.

Ionian is now completing Phase 3 of a four-phase program, to build and test a prototype system. Phase 1 involved biochemical test development and laboratory proof-of-concept, while Phase 2 demonstrated functionality in a fluidic test bed.

John Watson, President and CEO of Ionian Technologies Inc., says, "Our major contribution to the  Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) project is our proprietary rapid isothermal assay system. This is a technological breakthrough in the field, and we’d like to thank the Office of Technology Transfer and Commercialization at Cal State San Bernardino for their earlier grant award that helped us with some of the research now being utilized with the HISSS device."

Cal State San Bernardino’s Office of Technology Transfer and Commercialization (OTTC) manages the Center for Commercialization of Advanced Technology (CCAT) grant program that provided early funding to the Ionian effort. Ionian’s highly advanced technology originated from the Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) in Claremont, CA.

Founded in September 2000 by Dr. David Galas (former Vice Chancellor and Chief Scientific Officer for KGI), Ionian was incorporated in January 2001 and today is working on contracts for the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA) division, with Northrop Grumman Corp. (on DARPA projects), with SAIC, Inc. of San Diego (a subcontractor to Ionian on an HSARPA project) along with the Keck Graduate Institute. In addition, the company is focused on commercializing point of care (POC) molecular diagnostics for important infectious diseases.

About the Office of Technology Transfer and Commercialization (OTTC)

OTTC (http://www.ottc/csusb.edu) is the management office for a grant program known as CCAT, Center for Commercialization of Advanced Technology, funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) through Congressman Jerry Lewis’s office. The Foundation for California State University, San Bernardino hosts and oversees OTTC. CCAT provides grants intended to be used in two ways: (1) to help companies develop commercial applications for technologies that have been developed in government laboratories; and (2) to help the government find technologies it needs for defense and homeland security needs and help them along so they can enter government procurement channels. OTTC is a two-way conduit that acts as a virtual incubator for advanced technology. There are two CCAT programs in Southern California, with the other one being in San Diego (http://www.ccatsandiego.org).