Applied DNA Sciences Granted US Patent for Identification of Genetic Variants of Pima Cotton

STONY BROOK, NY--(Marketwired - January 30, 2015) - Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: APDN), (Twitter: @APDN), a provider of DNA-based anti-counterfeiting technology and product authentication solutions, announced today that the US Patent and Trademark Office issued the "Methods for Genotyping Mature Cotton Fibers and Textiles" patent #8,940,485 on January 27, 2015 for the company's pimaTyping^® authentication of extra long staple or pima cotton-based products.

This patent encompasses the identification of genetic differences among various Extra Long Staple ("ELS") cotton cultivars. Unlike APDN's fiberTyping^® patent (US Pat. # 8,669,079) that identifies the genetic differences between two cotton species, G. barbadense and G. hirsutum, this new patent enables identification of minor genetic differences among various cultivars under the G. bardadense species. This patent makes it possible to distinguish US Pima cotton from other ELS cottons grown around the world, such as Egyptian Giza cotton or Chinese Xinjiang ELS cotton.

Dr. Benjamin Liang, Chief Scientific Officer, and inventor of the patent commented: "This patent is an important milestone for our company as well as the textile industry, because we have proven that we can extract DNA from samples of mature cotton fiber taken from a textile item, and verify its origin. We are in the process of developing commercial testing kits, and in the future, will be able to provide authentication services on site. Given, the high resolution of this test, we offer customized assay development programs for pimaTyping, that is a complement but not a substitute for fiberTyping, which is already globally used to authenticate ELS products."

The portfolio of cotton authentication technologies will be important to growers, ginners, manufacturers, brands, retailers and governments. Using this new assay, suppliers can assure their "American Pima" labels, even when their products are manufactured off shore.

"This is valuable information for growers as well as manufacturers and consumers to know that a product labeled as ELS, can now be verified to its original source. As a cotton grower, we pride ourselves on the quality, integrity of the Pima ELS fiber that is grown here in the San Joaquin Valley. More importantly, the future of cotton production is protected because products labeled as Pima ELS can be verified through DNA technology -- now that's exciting," commented Cannon Michael, President, Bowles Farming Company.