In 2011, Canon U.S. Life Sciences, Inc. (a subsidiary of Canon U.S.A., Inc.) and the Fischell Department of Bioengineering at the A. James Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland launched a new research collaboration to develop a highly automated system providing rapid infectious disease diagnosis. Utilizing Canon U.S. Life Sciences' proprietary genetic analysis system, the project aims to expedite the delivery of infectious disease test results while also simplifying the test process to allow a variety of clinical staff to perform automated disease diagnosis.
The research team is led by Hiroshi Inoue, senior fellow, Canon U.S. Life Sciences, and Professor William E. Bentley, chair of the Fischell Department of Bioengineering in the university's A. James Clark School of Engineering. Together with their co-researchers, BioE professors Keith Herold and Ian White, they will pioneer the use of microfluidic chip technology in disposable testing cartridges containing human blood samples.
Using Canon U.S. Life Sciences' genetic analysis technology, the high-throughput cartridge system will identify bacterial pathogens in human blood by using genetic matching technology, thereby cutting the length of time required to test a sample from several days to one hour.
"The establishment of our relationship with Canon U.S. Life Sciences represents a major industrial collaboration for the University, the Clark School, and the Fischell Department of Bioengineering," said Bentley. "Leveraging our combined research capabilities will advance both Canon U.S. Life Sciences' commercial portfolio and the university's mission to create innovative knowledge and educational opportunities for its students."
At a ceremony celebrating the Fischell Department of Bioengineering's new partnership with Canon U.S. Life Sciences (CUSLS), CUSLS founder and senior fellow Hiroshi Inoue was inducted into the faculty as a Professor of the Practice. Left to right: past National Science Foundation director, National Academy of Sciences member, and Distinguished University Professor Rita Colwell; University of Maryland president Wallace Loh; Hiroshi Inoue; BioE Professor and Chair William E. Bentley; and Canon U.S.A. president and CEO Yoroku Adachi.
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Photo by John T. Consoli.
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