A leading German nanotechnology company had decided to make a 16.5 per cent investment in a Singapore-based start up called Curiox Biosystems.

Nanostart AG is widely seen as the world's leading nanotechnology investment company and this marks its first investment in Asia.

Curiox holds the patent for what's called the DropArray. This is a technology platform in miniaturised aqueous bioassays that allows researchers to conduct tests quickly and with lower costs.

It will cut testing time by 60 per cent and costs by nearly 90 per cent, without compromising the accuracy of results. So life science agencies and pharmaceutical companies can benefit from huge savings in time and cost.

Meanwhile, for consumers, it would mean cheaper drugs. Curiox wants to market the DropArray to research laboratories and screening facilities worldwide, especially in the US.

Curiox is a spin-off from Singapore's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), which is part of Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). Curiox is headed by Dr Namyong Kim, who was the leader of the IBN research team that developed the bioassay technology. The bioassay patent is just one of more than 420 IBN patents held by Curiox. - CNA/vm