Frankfurt am Main - Nanostart AG is adding the American company Lumiphore, Inc. to its investment portfolio. Based in Redwood City, California, the heartland of Silicon Valley, the company was founded in 2001. It develops and produces fluorescent nano-detectors which can be used, for example, in pharmaceutical and biotechnological research and development, as well as in drug discovery and diagnostics.
Lumiphore’s nano-detectors are based on lathanide fluorescence complexes. These complexes are freely-moving nano-particles with fluorescent qualities which combine together with assays being examined and mark them.
The technology developed by Lumiphore represents a breakthrough. The lethanide fluorescence complexes have already been in use for some time for examining assay substances. Due, however, to the limited number of these complexes and their very low luminescence it has not been possible to make widespread use of them. Lumiphore’s nano-detectors, by contrast, are 150 times more luminescent. Furthermore, the assays can be marked with four colors, as well as several colors close to the infrared light wavelength.
A further revolutionary advantage of the Lumiphore technology is its resistance to what is known as photo bleaching. As a result of this, experiments with the same assay can be repeated, results recorded and a comparison made between old and new data. The innovative technology could therefore also form the basis for new quality control systems.
"For us, the investment in Lumiphore, Inc. is a logical and consistent step", claims Marco Beckmann, CEO of Nanostart AG. "Nanostart AG is keeping to its philosophy of backing companies that have the means to radically alter existing markets with their technology. Our latest investment represents an addition to our portfolio in the USA, with an important foothold in Silicon Valley."
The special design of Lumiphore’s nano-detectors means that they can be used in a variety of sectors and application areas. Assays can be examined using conventional and already available laboratory instruments. The Lumiphore technology is therefore likely to establish itself swiftly. Having mainly concentrated in recent years on successfully developing its platform technology, the non-listed Lumiphore, Inc. will now use the capital of Nanostart AG to press ahead with the successful commercialization of its highly-innovative technologies.
About Nanostart AG:
Nanostart AG is one of the leading investors in the nanotechnology area. The company's two activity areas focus on investments in dynamically growing nanotechnology companies and advisory services to companies from the finance industry on investments in the nanotechnology sector. As nanotechnology investment company and sub-advisor for the DAC Nanotech-Fonds (ISIN LU0172295247), the company offers a unique profile in the global finance scene.
