MURRIETA, Calif., Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ — COPAN announced this
week that it has received the Japanese patent for the invention of
flocked swabs, FLOQSwabs, for collection and transfer of biological
samples. The Japanese flocked swabs patent (2007-523663) is the
latest addition to a growing number of patents held by COPAN across
the world for the use of flocked swabs for collection and transfer
of biological samples, including the Australian patent (2004226798)
granted earlier this year, a European patent that covers several
countries (1608268), a Canadian patent (2515205), and New Zealand
patent (541560).
Innovative FLOQSwabs comprise of a solid molded plastic
applicator shaft with a tip that can vary in size and shape to
serve different anatomical needs. The tip of the applicator is
coated with short Nylon fibers that are arranged in a perpendicular
fashion. This perpendicular arrangement results from a process
called flocking, where the fibers are sprayed onto the tip of the
swab, while it is held in an electrostatic field. COPAN’s
application of flocking technology has revolutionized the way
biological swab samples are perceived. Now demonstrated in many
scientific studies COPAN FLOQSwabs absorb a greater volume of
sample and more importantly release the entire sample into all
assay platforms.
“The patent granted by Japan for the invention of flocked swabs
for collection and transfer of biological samples strengthens
COPAN’s position as a true innovator in the field of pre-analytics
and COPAN’s commitment to enhancing collection and transport
devices to ultimately improve patients’ care,” concludes Norman
Sharples, COPAN Diagnostics’ Executive Vice-President.
About COPAN
With a reputation for innovation in preanalytics, COPAN is
the leading manufacturer of collection and transport systems in the
world. COPAN offers a complete range of microbial sampling products
used for traditional culture analysis and molecular diagnost
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