Morgantown, WV – Representatives at EyeMarker Systems, maker of the EyeMarker RTD1000, have been given the first results of a trial testing the device’s effectiveness in detecting poisoning with botulinum toxin. Doctors are thrilled that the device has now twice correctlyentified patient exposure (or not) to botulinum toxin, a deadly food borne neurotoxic protein. The EyeMarker RTD1000 is an automated, portable, noninvasive device that in two minutes or less can assess, by measuring the pupil or retina of the eye, if an individual has been exposed to any of a series of toxins, including botulinum, organophosphate nerve agents, cyanide and carbon monoxide.  The device was developed with an initial DARPA grant and several rounds of TSWG funding and guidance. Currently one of the EyeMarker devices is in Alaska for evaluation on patients with potential botulinum toxin exposure (botulism). Alaska was chosen as a test location since the state has the highest incidence of food-borne botulism in the United States. “What an amazing device!” said a neurologist working with the EyeMarker RTD1000 device. “We see cases of botulism regularly, and each case can take up to four days or more toentify. The RTD1000 immediate determination can make a significant difference in our timing of effective treatment of botulism.” The RTD1000, which uses novel techniques to ascertain exposure in about 30 seconds, has been used in two suspected cases of botulism in Alaska . In the first case, the patient was suspected to have botulism and the only ocular findings noted were slightly dilated pupils. A week after admission to the hospital, the EyeMarker device was used and gave a result of “botulinum exposed.” This finding was later confirmed by laboratory tests for the patient. In the second case, a patient was admitted with general paralysis which was suspected to be botulism. The EyeMarker device was employed immediately but yielded a result of “not botulinum exposed.” Three days later, the patient’s paralysis began to clear on the left side of the body (atypical of botulism). Shortly thereafter, laboratory tests ruled out botulism as a potential diagnosis. Michael S. Ascher, MD, FACP, a consultant to TSWG and a nationally known expert in biodefense, is coordinating the Alaska effort. Ascher has observed: “The findings are very dramatic and represent a clear proof-of-concept for the device in the diagnosis of exposure to botulinum toxin.” “To date, diagnosis of botulism requires invasive action, specifically a blood draw and injection of the sample into a mouse. It takes 24 hours or more to receive results,” said Wes McGee, CEO of EyeMarker Systems. “For certain toxins, those 24 hours could be the difference between life and death.” “Furthermore, there are hundreds of detectors for airborne chembio releases, but the question remains - what is in the person’s blood system?  Successful screening with the RTD1000 could determine appropriate therapy, relieve pressure on the health system, keep military or homeland security personnel fit to serve, and separate the truly exposed from the worried well.” said McGee. About EyeMarker Systems, Inc. EyeMarker Systems, Inc. has been committed to the research, discovery and commercialization of innovative ocular screening technology since its founding in 2001. Based in Morgantown , West Virginia , founded by scientists at The Eye Institute at West Virginia University , and nurtured at the WVU Business Incubator, the company has received five patents to date in its development of the EyeMarker Platform and imageanalysis software for its Ocular Scanning Instrument. For more information, please visit www.eyemarker.com For more information, contact: Wes McGee CEO of EyeMarker Systems Phone: 703-362-9290 or 304-598-1101 Email: wmcgee@eyemarker.com