Strategic Diagnostics Awarded Patent For Use of Bacteriophages in Microbiological Assays and Processes

SDI (Strategic Diagnostics Inc., NASDAQ: SDIX), a leading provider of biotechnology-based products and services for a broad range of food safety, life science and industrial applications, today announced it has been awarded U.S. Patent No. 7,521,201 B2 for using bacteriophages in microbiological assay tests and processes. The invention is a rapid bacterial detection method that reduces or eliminates the growth of undesirable bacteria, resulting in improved test performance.

The invention addresses the problem of how to detect a harmful pathogen among billions of other bacteria present in a test sample. Reducing the growth of competing bacteria in the sample reduces false negative results, while preventing the growth of cross reactive bacteria in the sample reduces false positive results. Together, these benefits reduce the time required to obtain test results while improving the accuracy of test methods.

In one application, SDI uses this technology in the enrichment media of its RapidChek^® SELECT™ Salmonella and E. coli food pathogen assay test kit to inhibit the growth of cross-reactive and competitive bacteria, providing an optimal environment for Salmonella and E.coli to grow and, therefore, be more easily detected. Enrichment media is a significant component of the $1B global food pathogen testing market. Depending on the detection method used, media can represent more than 50 percent of the cost per test. There are more than 138 million tests conducted globally each year to test for the presence of pathogens like Salmonella or E. coli in food products. Improving productivity and accuracy of tests is a major goal of the food testing industry.

“The award of this patent and the current application of the technology in our products and services reinforce and confirm the value of the R&D investments we are making,” said Fran DiNuzzo, President and CEO of SDI. “Our customers are already seeing this technology reduce the time required to obtain test results while improving accuracy.”

Dr. James Stave, SDI Vice President of Research & Development, added, “This patent application is an example of the creative work that we’re doing at SDI. We continue to explore and develop technology solutions that address real issues and result in better decision-making tools for our customers. We are particularly excited about this technology because we believe that it should be generally applicable to all microbiology tests that employ an enrichment step, even those in markets outside of food and water pathogen testing, such as pharmaceutical research and medical diagnostics.”

About Strategic Diagnostics Inc. (SDI)

Strategic Diagnostics Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets biotechnology-based products and services across industrial, academic, pharmaceutical, human health and Life Science markets – from food safety test kits to diagnostic-grade antibody solutions.

For over 20 years, SDI has created antibodies that advance our customers’ and partners’ immuno-based work for assay development and industrial testing, helping them reduce time, labor, and costs while increasing accuracy and reliability of test results. Unique SDI capabilities include Genomic Antibody Technology™ (GAT) for rapid development of diagnostic-grade clinical assays and research projects– from antibody candidate to critical high-quality reagent formulation.

SDI continues to leverage its expertise in immunology, proteomics, bio-luminescence and other bio-reactive technologies to broaden its position into the diagnostics, life science and pharmaceutical research markets. For more information, visit www.sdix.com.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements reflecting SDI's current expectations. When used in this press release, words like “anticipate”, “could”, “enable”, “estimate”, “intend”, “expect”, “believe”, “potential”, “will”, “should”, “project”, “plan” and similar expressions as they relate to SDI are intended to identify said forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ from those anticipated by SDI at this time. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, changes in demand for products, the application of our technologies to various uses, delays in product development, delays in market acceptance of new products, retention of customers and employees, adequate supply of raw materials, inability to obtain or delays in obtaining fourth party, including AOAC, or required government approvals, the ability to meet increased market demand, competition, protection of intellectual property, non-infringement of intellectual property, seasonality, and other factors more fully described in SDI's public filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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