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Alberta Venture published its first list of Alberta's Most Influential People in 1997. The annual list consists of influential Albertans that 'help shape our view of business, politics, education and the environment' and 'exemplify courage, vision and leadership.'

Dr. Cormier is listed under Alberta Venture magazine's "Business" category and is cited for inventing LifeSens™, 'the portable breathalyzer-type device designed to quickly and painlessly reveal what ails ya.'

Dr. Acharya is a PhD biochemist with considerable experience in the field of metabolomics, which is the systematic study of the unique chemical fingerprints that specific cellular processes leave behind.  Metabolomics is emerging as a powerful tool for the identification of diseases and other important medical conditions.

Dr. John Cormier, CEO of Picomole Instruments, adds “Our team is thrilled to have the opportunity of working with Dr. Acharya.  His experience in metabolomics will be an invaluable resource, and the company looks forward to Dr. Acharya’s leadership in this area as it expands its R&D capabilities.”

After finishing post-doctoral studies in biological chemistry at UC Berkeley, Dr. Acharya joined Chenomx Inc. as Alberta Ingenuity R&D associate.  He had been working on NMR and mass spectrometry based metabolite analysis/profiling of bio-fluids for comprehensive metabolite identification in biological matrices.  Dr. Acharya has bio-organic chemistry background with experiences in bio-molecular spectroscopy and bio-analytical chemistry.  His main areas of responsibility at Picomole will include providing scientific leadership for the development of innovative metabolomics tests and clinical diagnostics tests for the company’s proprietary Laser Infrared Sample Analysis (LISATM) technology using exhaled breath samples.

For additional information, contact »  Dr. John Cormier  «

About Picomole Instruments Inc.

Picomole Instruments is an award-winning private company founded in 2005 by Dr. John Cormier.  Recently named one of the Top 10 Canadian Angel Capital Companies by the National Angel Capital Organization, Picomole is also the winner of the BioAlberta Emerging Company of the Year award in 2008, and was the 2007 winner of the VenturePrize business plan competition.  The company specializes in the development of ultra-sensitive gas analysis technologies.  Its flagship product is LifeSens™, a platform technology for point-of-care clinical diagnostics based on the rapid analysis of exhaled breath.  Picomole Instruments is the recipient of grants and awards from NRC IRAP, the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, and the Alberta Ingenuity Fund.

Picomole announced late last year that it had built a table-top proof-of-concept apparatus.  Following this, the company demonstrated the feasibility of using LifeSens™ technology to measure compounds in breath that have been linked to diseases such as asthma, diabetes, breast cancer, lung cancer, kidney disease, liver disease, tuberculosis and even mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.  Encouraged by the results, the company elected to pursue cancer screening as the initial application for LifeSens™.

Completion of the LifeSens™ portable prototype brings Founder and CEO Dr. John Cormier’s vision of cost-effective and accessible breath testing one step closer to reality.  "This important milestone is the result of our hard-working team of scientists and engineers" adds Dr. Cormier, noting that the team’s focus and dedication allowed the company to complete the LifeSens™ portable prototype under budget and ahead of schedule.

Picomole Instruments recently launched its Series "A" financing round.  Proceeds of the round will be used to complete product development and conduct clinical trials.

Pioneering research in the 1970s established that breath samples from healthy individuals contain more than 200 volatile compounds that result from normal metabolic processes.  Since then, researchers have discovered that in disease states, specific volatile compounds become more prevalent, altering the rich pattern of exhaled metabolites in predictable ways.  “For example, recent research suggests that breast cancer could be diagnosed as accurately as mammograms, simply by measuring a handful of volatile metabolites in exhaled breath samples” offers Picomole biochemist Dr. Karen Robinson.  “This is an extraordinary development that would be welcomed by women in cancer screening”.

“Our early results illustrate the far-ranging utility of LifeSens™ technology for non-invasive clinical diagnostics” explains Picomole founder and CEO Dr. John Cormier.  “Having a broad gas detection capability is essential for clinical breath analysis, a rapidly-growing field where researchers have already identified more than a hundred potential disease biomarkers in exhaled breath.  Infrared laser-based gas detectors are in demand because they are compact and relatively inexpensive.  The downside of traditional laser devices has been that they typically measure single compounds, limiting their usefulness in clinical applications.  LifeSens™ is unique among laser-based technologies because a single easy-to-use instrument could be used to rapidly detect nearly all known breath biomarkers”.

Picomole Instrument’s patent-pending infrared technology enables rapid gas analysis at below parts-per-billion levels, making it ideal for applications in clinical diagnostics, occupational health and safety, law enforcement and environmental monitoring.   The company is currently designing a fully functional portable prototype, a milestone it expects to complete later this year.

“The completion of the LifeSens™ prototype is a real milestone for Picomole, as we can now perform preliminary gas analysis measurements in our laboratory,” said Dr. Denis Dufour, Vice President of Technology Development. “This prototype allows us to validate and refine our technology, and serves as a test bed for evaluating components that will be used in the commercial version of LifeSens™.”

“The Picomole R&D team has developed a technology that will enable the next generation of portable sensors to deliver ultra-sensitive gas analysis on an easy-to-use, cost-effective platform,” added Dr. Cormier. “We now look forward to partnering with industry leaders in clinical diagnostics and enabling them to further this technology and develop commercial applications.”

Picomole’s proprietary infrared technology provides high-precision gas analysis at below parts-per-billion levels, making it ideal for applications in environmental monitoring, occupational health and safety, law enforcement and clinical diagnostics. The company’s next steps will be to test and fully automate the prototype, tasks it expects to complete within four months.

Ms. Riopel is a Medical Technologist with an MBA in Technology Commercialization and has more than 10 years of experience in the biotechnology and clinical diagnostics sector.   Ms. Riopel was previously Director of Communications with BioMS Medical Corp.   Before this, Ms. Riopel served as Vice-President Corporate Development at SciMed Laboratories Inc.

“I am pleased to have the opportunity to join the Picomole team during this exciting time as they prepare their product for market launch”, says Ms. Riopel.   “Their proprietary gas analysis technology is superior to existing methods in many ways, and I look forward to assisting in the creation and implementation of a strategic plan for successful commercialization.”

Dr. John Cormier, CEO of Picomole Instruments, adds “Our team is very honoured to have the opportunity of working with Ms. Riopel.  The experience she gained in various senior management roles in biotechnology and clinical diagnostics companies will be invaluable as we commercialize our proprietary gas analysis technology.”

At SciMed, Ms. Riopel created the business plan that won grand prize in the VenturePrize business plan competition (2004), successfully secured major financing for the company, and set the stage for introduction of SciMed’s product to market.   In addition to her previous senior role in communications at BioMS Medical, she is Founder and CEO of Tarquin Consulting Inc., where she has performed business consulting activities for the biotechnology and life sciences sector.  Her main areas of responsibility at Picomole will include marketing, business development, and communications.

In its award letter, AHFMR ForeFront commented on the potential for Picomole's patent-pending LifeSens™ technology to ”set new standards for non-invasive diagnosis of certain disease conditions.”

”AHFMR has given Picomole Instruments a significant endorsement with their award,” says founder and CEO Dr. John Cormier.  ”We are encouraged by this development which confirms that our technology is of great interest to the medical community.”

Picomole Instruments Inc. is developing LifeSens™, a portable instrument for point-of-care clinical diagnostics based on the rapid analysis of exhaled breath.   The company sees applications for LifeSens™ in a wide variety of clinical conditions including asthma, diabetes, cancer, and more.  The technology is also suitable for application in other sectors, including environmental monitoring, law enforcement, and occupational health and safety.

Established by the Government of Alberta in 1980, the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) supports biomedical and health research at Alberta universities, affiliated institutions, and other medical and technology-related institutions.   Innovations coming out of AHFMR-supported labs have become the basis for new companies, and licensing agreements with other companies.  The AHFMR ForeFront program aids this process and supports entrepreneurs in universities and industry.

Picomole Instruments was one of 29 businesses to compete in this year's VenturePrize Business Plan competition, the largest of its kind in Canada.  The VenturePrize final event was held on May 3 at the Shaw Convention Centre in Edmonton, Alberta.

Three finalists of the competition presented three-minute promotional videos, and delivered twelve-minute presentations and one-minute ”elevator pitches” to a distinguished panel of investor judges and a business luncheon audience.

Picomole Instruments was chosen as the winner and awarded a prize package worth $108,000, including cash and in-kind services.  According to Founder and CEO John Cormier, ”Winning VenturePrize is a tremendous boost.  It validates the business case for our ultra-sensitive gas analysis technology, and the company is receiving considerable interest as a result.”

Picomole Instruments Inc. is commercializing LifeSens™, a portable instrument for point-of-care clinical diagnostics based on the rapid analysis of exhaled breath.   The company sees applications for LifeSens™ in a wide variety of clinical conditions including asthma, diabetes, cancer, and more.  The patent-pending platform technology is also suitable for application in other sectors, including environmental monitoring, law enforcement, and occupational health and safety.

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