"To launch the effort, Intel is building an Intel Raman Bioanalyzer System at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle," said Andrew Berlin, lead researcher, Intel's Precision Biology program. "The instrument beams lasers onto tiny medical samples, such as blood serum, to create images that reveal the chemical structure of molecules. The goal is to determine if this technology, previously used to detect microscopic imperfections on silicon chips, can also detect subtle traces of disease."
"This collaboration is a unique and exciting interaction," said Dr. Lee Hartwell, Nobel Laureate and center president and director. "Biologists have never before had such a method for studying the molecular structure of biology. This is true discovery-based research; we don't know what we will see or learn. It may lead to a new era of molecular diagnostics and improved methods of early disease detection."
"Intel enthusiastically endorses Dr. Hartwell's vision of Early Disease Detection and I am thrilled to have this opportunity to help accelerate progress towards it realization. This is collaborative research at its best. Together we can learn how best to adapt advances in nanotechnology to solve some of the most pressing problems in medicine and biology," said David Tennenhouse, vice president, Intel's Corporate Technology Group and director of research.
The Intel Raman Bioanalyzer System is based on a technique known as Raman spectroscopy Intel uses this technique to analyze subtle chemical compositions during the chip fabrication process. By shining a laser beam at an object, molecules with
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Contact: Susan Edmonds
sedmonds@fhcrc.org
206-667-2896
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
23-Oct-2003