Vivione Biosciences Inc. signs collaboration with University of Arkansas Department of Food Science and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Center for Food Safety

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CALGARY, July 26, 2013 /CNW/ - Vivione Biosciences Inc. ("Vivione") (TSXV: VBI) is pleased to announce that it has signed a collaboration agreement with the University of Arkansas Department of Food Science and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Center for Food Safety.

This collaboration is for a 12 month period with annual renewals during which Vivione and the university will work together on mutually agreed to projects. These projects will include literature searches and objective studies of RAPID-B's performance relative to other methods. These projects will include existing as well as future assays.

Vivione is commercializing its RAPID-B diagnostic platform into the food safety market. RAPID-B has the potential to provide food pathogen detection down to a single cell in as little as seven hours (including sample preparation) versus the days that it takes with competitive systems. The rapid time to results capability could allow food processors to more closely monitor their manufacturing plants, incoming raw materials as well as mitigate the risk of a food safety recall.

"The University of Arkansas is one the leading agricultural universities in the United States," said Kevin Kuykendall, Vivione's CEO. "In addition to being on the leading edge of the technologies and research that are driving ongoing improvements in food science, they also have a unique perspective due to their strong relationships with some of the largest global food companies. We are very happy to be working with them to help refine our products as well as having the university being an objective judge of our analytical performance."

Steven C. Ricke, Director of the Center for Food Safety, said, "We have been informally involved with Vivione's RAPID-B platform for a number of years and have appreciated all of the work that has gone into the platform's development. We are very pleased to now formalize our relationship and are looking forward to actively contributing to RAPID-B's success. Vivione's RAPID-B platform could have a dramatic impact on a customer's food safety program. The ability to sample, analyze, and intervene all within a manufacturing shift is a significant improvement over existing pathogen detection technologies. RAPID-B's ability to detect a single cell of bacteria in seven hours or less, including sample preparation time will provide food producers with the ability to reduce inventory hold times and improve manufacturing efficiencies, and ultimately reduce their product costs."


Vivione partnered with the federal Food and Drug Administration National Center for Toxicological Research in Jefferson, Ark., for more than six years to develop RAPID-B. Vivione believes RAPID-B has the potential to provide for the rapid detection of bacterial pathogens, making RAPID-B applicable to the food safety, clinical diagnostics and other markets including agricultural, water testing, pharmaceutical and medical device applications.

The Department of Food Science consists of 14 nationally recognized faculty and 10 adjunct faculty with support personnel who are dedicated to teaching, research and service in areas of food chemistry and quality, microbial food safety, food processing, food packaging, sensory analysis, food engineering, functionality and health benefits of foods. The department's facilities including classrooms, laboratories and food processing pilot plant are modern and well equipped for effective education and research.

The mission of the Center for Food Safety is to conduct research on the safety and quality of food products with a focus on biological, chemical and physical hazards. The center is dedicated to the development and utilization of advanced research technologies and to the communication of research findings to assist in building public confidence in the protection, safety, quality and nutritional value of food products.

Cautionary Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Although Vivione believes that the expectations reflected in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements have been based on factors and assumptions concerning future events that may prove to be inaccurate. These factors and assumptions are based upon currently available information to Vivione. Such statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could influence actual results or events and cause actual results or events to differ materially from those stated, anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. In particular, this press release contains forward-looking information relating to the commercialization and anticipated effectiveness of RAPID-B. Readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this release and, except as required by applicable law, Vivione does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Vivione undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third-parties in respect of Vivione, or its financial or operating results or (as applicable), their securities.

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SOURCE: Vivione Biosciences Inc.

Vivione Biosciences Inc.      
Kevin Kuykendall
Chief Executive Officer
Tel: [phone]

University of Arkansas
Steven C. Ricke, Center for Food Safety
Tel: [phone]
[email protected]