GenPrime Selected for Expanded Bioterrorism Defense in Georgia, USA

Main Category: Bio-terrorism / Terrorism
Article Date: 03 Mar 2005 - 2:00 PDT

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State group increases order for GenPrime's Prime Alert® screening kits for use by hazmat and first responder teams -

GenPrime, Inc, the leading American developer of rapid, broad-spectrum screening systems for use in bio-warfare defense, today announced the continued rollout of its Prime Alert® biodetection field test kit by the Georgia Mutual Aid Group (GMAG), a statewide consortium of more than 700 fire departments. GMAG has expanded its use of Prime Alert kits by hazmat and first response teams, joining other state- and government-led security organizations in deploying Prime Alert to protect public safety workers and others from exposure to harmful bacterial agents.

"Time is of the essence when a biological security breach may have occurred," noted Frankie Mason, captain of the Savannah (GA) Fire Department. "Tools such as Prime Alert that offer fast and accurate screening results - in the field - are vital for determining an appropriate response."

Independently evaluated by the Battelle Memorial Institute, Prime Alert is one of the first field-proven screening tests for all bacterial agents of concern identified by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). It elevates the industry standard for the speed and accuracy of biodetection in the field by performing broad spectrum tests in less than 10 minutes. Prime Alert uses a patented fluorescent detection technology to rapidly determine the presence of harmful microbes in foreign substances. Portability, affordability and ease-of-use are features that enable the kit to be deployed in any situation.

"Georgia has been one of the trailblazers in developing first response teams that are equipped with leading edge technology," said GenPrime CEO Johnny Humphreys. "Prime Alert was selected by GMAG in part because it is not agent-specific, enabling it to serve as a tool for alerting personnel to the presence of any harmful bacterial agents. As a result, Prime Alert helps reduce the time safety officers and others must spend in the field, thereby lessening the threat to human life and the economic impact of a biowarfare incident."

GenPrime's Prime Alert system has been adopted by a wide range of government organizations as a critical link in the fight against bioterrorism. In addition to the state of Georgia, GenPrime has statewide contracts in Minnesota, Oregon, Washington and New Mexico. To date, it has been successfully deployed in over 20 states - and even by the Defense Forces of Ireland and the Singapore Department of Civil Defense - to help protect government employees and the public.

About GenPrime

GenPrime, Inc. specializes in the development of rapid microbial screening tests designed to identify toxic biological substances in the field. The company is committed to bringing revolutionary quality control to product testing methodologies used by the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, industrial, chemical and environmental industries. Company headquarters are in Spokane, Washington. For more information, call 509-624-9855 or visit [http://www.genprime.com]

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