Bioanalytics firm Protea Biosciences has been selected as a Top 10 Innovative Technologies. The honor is being bestowed by “The Scientist,” an international life sciences journal. Protea earned the award for its Laser Ablation Electrospray Ionization (LAESI) technology, described as the world’s first technology that allows real-time molecular imaging, including the molecular analysis of live cells. LAESI was invented by researchers at George Washington University and exclusively licensed worldwide to Protea Biosciences. Protea has now completed the development of the world's first LAESI instrument systems, financed largely by a loan from West Virginia Jobs Investment Trust, the state’s venture capital fund. Morgantown-based Protea was launched as a spin-off from West Virginia University in 2001. The firm has 45 employees.
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