Client success: USDA funds SBIR grant to enhance food safety

Bacterial contamination in the American beef supply continues to be a serious concern for both the public and the meat processing industry that serves them. As part of a broader program of improvements in processing procedures and sanitary methods, meat processors in the U.S. and abroad recently have initiated use of an automated Carcass Inspection System that identifies areas contaminated by organic material. This contamination can potentially harbor dangerous pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7, the deadly bacteria sometimes found in hamburger. Unfortunately, the system also detects the purple inks currently used by the USDA to brand carcasses and reports responses to the inks as "false positives" of fecal and/or intestinal contamination.

On April 5, the U.S. Department of Agriculture notified BioLink Life Sciences, Inc., that Phase 1 of the Company's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) proposal had been funded. In their SBIR proposal, BioLink described development of branding inks that will contain compounds that BioLink calls PRO-Dyes™. "PRO-Dyes are not detected by the Carcass Inspection System," BioLink's President Deanna Nelson noted. "They are designed to break down in the body to FDA-approved food colors and compounds that are known to be safe. The 'Must Fund' ratings we received from USDA reviewers confirm the conclusions that were reached by SBTDC personnel and other external reviewers who helped us strengthen our proposal. Everyone foresees expansion of this contamination detection technology into other areas where safety is critical to disease prevention."

BioLink, a North Carolina biotech company that is developing innovative products which enhance the safety of foods, drugs and diagnostics, met with the FDA in early February to discuss BioLink's PRO-Dye solution to the meat packers' problems with contamination detection. FDA personnel also noted the potential positive impact of BioLink's innovative PRO-Dyes, and invited the Company to work with them to eliminate carcinogens and disease-causing contaminants in the American food supply.

In addition to its activities in improving contamination detection in foods, BioLink focuses on enhancing the efficacy and safety of registered "blockbuster" drugs that have significant bioavailability defects, such as poor uptake from the digestive tract, enzymatic modification to an inactive form, or undesired side effects related to poor drug delivery profiles. By retaining the therapeutic activity of the parent drug and minimizing its side effects through modification to a prodrug, the time and cost of development for FDA approval of the prodrug are significantly reduced. The Company has filed several patents to protect its technologies, and has begun to work with pharmaceutical partners to commercialize, market and distribute its novel therapeutic conjugates.

Small Business Innovation & Research grants continue to be attractive ways to gain funding. BioLink has worked in "lock step" with the SBTDC to improve its submissions. For example, Company personnel attended SBIR workshops, monitored guidance documents posted on the SBTDC website and in its monthly newsletters, and used SBTDC staff expertise to focus and hone its proposals. Since competition for funding is so fierce, the insights and assistance afforded by John Ujvari and his colleagues at the SBTDC can make the difference between being in the top 10% of proposals that are funded or being in the "not funded" category.

To learn more about BioLink, contact BioLink's Sales Department at 919-678-9478, e-mail them at info@biolinkonline.com, or visit the company's website at www.biolinkonline.com.