COPAN Files New Patents Following the Development of High Nucleic Acid Yield Flocked Swabs

MURRIETA, California, December 16, 2010 - COPAN has enjoyed widespread use of its flocked swabs line, branded as
FLOQSwabs, in microbiology for the collection and transportation of bacterial
and viral samples.

FLOQSwabs by COPAN have been shown through numerous independent studies
to collect more sample and elute the entire sample thus improving the
detection and diagnosis of infectious disease agents. In spite of this
success, the company has remained committed to continual innovation to
optimize the sample collection, preservation and maximize the release of the
target analyte into numerous assay platforms. New research at COPAN has led
to an important technological breakthrough in the yield of target nucleic
acid from its FLOQSwabs. In the case of Low Copy Numbers (LCN) when minute
quantities of nucleic acid might be present in a sample, maximum yield of
nucleic acid can make the difference between a positive or negative result.

Even though FLOQSwabs release almost the entire sample, nucleic acid has
a tendency to be sticky and some residue can still attach to swab fibers.
This risk is eliminated with COPAN's latest discovery in fiber treatment for
flocked swabs. COPAN's high nucleic acid yield FLOQSwabs now deliver as much
as 1 log more nucleic acid, equivalent to 3 PCR cycles less for detection.
This demonstrable improvement is another milestone in the evolution of
flocked swab technology and ensures the maximum sensitivity of assay. The
recent discoveries are now the subject of a series of new patent applications
by COPAN in the USA and in other countries around the world.

Worldwide, COPAN holds numerous patents for its original line of flocked
swabs, FLOQSwabs.

About Copan Group

With a reputation for innovation in preanalytics, Copan is the leading
manufacturer of collection and transport systems in the world. COPAN offers a
complete range of microbial sampling products used for traditional culture
analysis and molecular diagnostic assays. For more information, visit
www.copanusa.com

Gabriela Powers, Global Marketing Manager of Copan Group, +1-800-216-4016, Gabriela.powers at copanusa.net