June 1, 2010 (FinancialWire) — Pressure BioSciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: PBIO) has signed a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, the American Registry of Pathology, and the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop pressure-based methods to improve the quality and speed of "formalin fixed, paraffin embedded" tissue preparations, and to improve the quality and yield of biomolecule extraction (DNA, RNA, proteins, lipids, small molecules) from archival FFPE tissue samples.

Formalin fixation followed by paraffin embedding is commonly used for the preservation of tissues for pathology evaluation. Consequently, archival repositories now exist that contain millions of FFPE tissue samples. Such samples represent an invaluable resource for retrospective studies of disease progression and response to therapy. Because the disease outcome and the therapies associated with that outcome are known, studies of these samples could accelerate discoveries of new therapies, drugs, and preventive strategies, Pressure Bio believes.

"Unfortunately, the analysis of FFPE samples is highly problematic, due to the adverse effects of formalin," Pressure said. "These effects can lead to the improper fixation of valuable biomolecules in the sample, causing them to be lost from the FFPE tissue over time. They can also cause difficulties in extracting important biomolecules, even those that have been preserved properly."

R. Wayne Fritzsche, chairman of the board of PBI, commented: "We believe that there are millions of new FFPE tissue samples processed each year, and that our pressure-enhanced perfusion method could potentially add a significant increase in quality to the standard fixation process."

Richard T. Schumacher, president and CEO of PBI, said: "Because the potential scientific and financial importance of these early findings is so significant, all stakeholders in PBI should be aware that these newly developed pressure-based methods have become a primary focus for PBI going forward."

Pressure BioSciences currently holds 14 US and 10 foreign patents covering multiple applications of PCT in the life sciences.

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