ECI Biotech Takes on BioTerrorism

In a panel discussion at Worcester Polytechnic Institute on June 7th, Dr. Mitchell Sanders, founder and President of ECI Biotech, discussed the development of products for homeland security based upon his company's protein technologies.

For Immediate Release
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ECI Biotech Takes on BioTerrorism and Homeland Security

Dr. Mitchell Sanders Discusses Company Efforts in WPI Panel Discussion

DATELINE: WORCESTER, MA; ISSUED JULY 10, 2002 . . .
In a panel discussion at Worcester Polytechnic Institute on June 7th, Dr. Mitchell Sanders, founder and President of ECI Biotech, discussed the development of products for homeland security based upon his company's protein technologies.

The presentation was part of a panel discussion, entitled "Personal Safety and Security", that was held during WPI's Alumni Reunion Weekend. One focus of the weekend programs was ways in which WPI alumni are working to address issues raised since the terrorist attacks of September 11th.

"Until recently, scientists working in the United States have only had to consider bioterrorism in the abstract," said Dr. Sanders. "Unfortunately, since September 11th we have been made to face the reality of the threat."

ECI Biotech is a Worcester, Massachusetts company engaged in breakthrough research on protein design and expression. Proteins are complex molecules which perform nearly every essential function of living things. By focusing on the dynamics of protein structure, ECI can make selected proteins more stable, soluble, active and robust. This is enabling the development of a vast array of products, ranging from therapeutic applications to the detection of specific pathogens.

"ECI is well poised to offer solutions for terrorist activity," Sanders said. "In particular, our 'detector proteins', which sense a chemical change in their environment, can be directly applied to antiterrorism products. ECI has the technology to create products that can screen for a wide range of bacterial and viral germs that may be used as bioweapons."

In spite of the public preoccupation with bioterrorism, Sanders believes that the greater, unrecognized threat, may lie with more ordinary pathogens that are commonly found within the home.

"We can prepare for an anthrax or smallpox attack," said Sanders. "But we need to keep in mind that our far greater risk is from exposure to germs like staph, strep, or salmonella -- the type of bacterial contamination that is commonly found in our food or our homes. ECI is also working on products to combat these much more prolific pathogens."

For more information about ECI Biotech and its protein technologies, please visit www.ecibiotech.com, or contact Dr. Mitchell Sanders at (508) 752-2209.