US Patent Office Grants COPAN Invention of Flocked Swabs

MURRIETA, California, December 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

The US Patent Office has awarded COPAN the much awaited patent for its flocked swabs invention for collection and transfer of biological samples. This grant, deriving from a very thorough and careful examination, strengthens COPAN's patent portfolio around the World for its flocked swab invention. COPAN's revolutionary invention has now been awarded patents in every Country* where it had been filed.

"We are thrilled to receive our patent for a method for collecting biological specimen with our flocked swabs in the US as it is a great addition to our growing number of patents held around the world. It is a gratifying recognition of a true invention that has changed the landscape of the pre-analytical phase of Microbiology," says Norman Sharples, COPAN's Executive VP. Numerous independent studies have proven that the use of COPAN Flocked Swabs (FLOQSwabs™) improves the quantity and quality of samples collected and released into different culture and assay platforms.

Unlike traditional fiber swabs, COPAN Flocked Swabs (FLOQSwabs™) have no internal mattress core to trap the sample. The perpendicular fibers on the swabs have a soft brush-like texture that improves collection of cell samples and at the same time draws up liquid specimen between the fibers by capillarity. In both events sample stays close to the surface for automatic and spontaneous elution. COPAN Flocked Swabs have changed the world of Virology by giving clinicians an easier sample collection tool that yields comparable results to the gold standards - nasopharyngeal washes or nasal aspirates. By using COPAN Flocked Swabs and Universal Transport Medium (UTM), the sample collection process is less invasive. It can be performed in hospital settings, remote sites or at home and samples can be safely transported to laboratories for testing.

"The revolution started with COPAN Flocked Swabs and UTM in Virology will now occur in Bacteriology with Flocked Swabs and ESwab, COPAN's multipurpose collection and transport platform suitable for traditional aerobic and anaerobic culture and molecular assays," emphasizes Sharples.  "Being granted the US patent for Flocked Swabs is invigorating and keeps us motivated to continue to innovate and focus on providing our customers with novel solutions for the advancement of the pre-analytical phase of Microbiology," concludes Sharples.

* Patents concerning COPAN's flocked swab invention have been granted in the US, Canada, Europe, Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand.

About COPAN Group

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 diagnostic assays. For more information, visit  http://www.copanusa.com