Monmouth Junction, NJ, August 26, 2016. PharmaSeq, Inc., announced today that it has received a U.S. patent (9,418,321) for “Tagging of Tissue Carriers with Light-Activated Microtransponders.” The patent covers the use of PharmaSeq’s p-Chip® technology for tagging and tracking anatomical pathology specimens that are an integral part of the diagnostic process in the medical industry. Wide-scale adoption of p-Chips mounted on plastic tissue cassettes and on the edge of glass microscope slides will improve workflow, reduce errors and decrease costs in pathology departments.

PharmaSeq performed the work leading to the inventions under a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant from the National Cancer Institute. The goal of the work was to replace traditional barcode labeling systems for tissue cassettes with a highly ruggedized method that uses identity numbers (IDs) stored electronically in p-Chips as keys for accessing specimen information in a database. PharmaSeq’s patented p-Chip is a highly durable semiconductor device that is stable over a wide range of temperatures and resilient to the various harsh reagents used to process medical samples. The very small size of the p-Chips makes it possible to attach or embed them directly onto plastic tissue cassettes and glass microscope slides and to determine their identities with a reader, also manufactured by PharmaSeq. Because each p-Chip has a unique ID, it is possible to associate every specimen with the patient from which it was obtained.

Dr. Richard Morris, CEO of PharmaSeq, commented: “The issuance of this important patent confirms that the p-Chip has great value in anatomical pathology and related applications. Large numbers of samples are continuously being processed by the medical community, and keeping track of and retrieving them is a growing challenge.” He continued: “The small size of the p-Chips makes it possible to place and read them on the edges of tissue cassettes, rather than pulling them from storage drawers one by one. This feature alone greatly reduces the time needed to locate a specimen for reexamination. “

About PharmaSeq. PharmaSeq, Inc., has developed an ultra-small microtransponder tag called the p-Chip that is poised to revolutionize several billion-dollar industries. The p-Chip is the smallest, most technologically advanced commercial product available today for tagging and authenticating consumer goods, industrial goods and small animals. Its size is at least 100-fold smaller than current gold standard RFID tags, and it costs far less to manufacture in volume—an order of magnitude less expensive than tags commonly used today. The p-Chip is nearly impossible to counterfeit and can be used reliably in environmentally challenging conditions ranging from -190°C to more than 150°C. These four unique capabilities of the p-Chip significantly expand the addressable market for this highly advanced, foundational technology. For additional information, visit www.pharmaseq.com.

For further information, please contact Richard G. Morris, CEO, at (732) 355-0100.