Pilot Project To Demonstrate Effectiveness of CertainT® for Cotton Textile Traceability
STONY BROOK, N.Y. – September 4, 2024 – Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: APDN) (Applied DNA), a leader in PCR-based DNA technologies, today announced the receipt of a subcontract award from LRQA following a competitive tender for a pilot isotopic testing program. Under the terms of the subcontract, Applied DNA, together with its traceability partner, Isotech (a Stratum Reservoir company), will employ CertainT® to conduct isotopic testing and analysis to support cotton traceability in Pakistan. Financial terms of the subcontract were not disclosed.
CertainT is Applied DNA’s textiles traceability platform that uses forensic, multiple-proof-point evidence to enable source and authenticity verification of materials and products at any point as they are transformed through global supply chains. LRQA is a leading global assurance company that brings together decades of unrivaled expertise in assessment, advisory, inspection, and cybersecurity services.
The subcontract with Applied DNA was issued in support of the Global Trace Protocol project (the “Project”), a U.S. Department of Labor-funded initiative implemented by LRQA (known as ELEVATE during the Project’s inception) that is designed to reduce child and forced labor in global supply chains through traceability. The Project engages with trace experts, global brands, Pakistan’s cotton sector, and worker organizations to design, implement, and assess the pilot trace tool to improve its future application and develop publicly available commodity-agnostic trace resources for enhanced due diligence.
Jeff Wheeler, Director of the Global Trace Protocol project at LRQA, stated, “New import regulations and legislation now require extra documentation to verify cotton origin and ensure that cotton does not come from high-risk sources. The Global Trace Protocol project is developing traceability technology tools that provide greater transparency and integrity to textile value chains globally, including through our work with Applied DNA.”
Applied DNA and Isotech will utilize best practices in the isotopic analysis of raw materials and products at key points in the cotton textile value chain, aligning with the Project’s overarching goals. Some of the testing components include the use of isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) on samples from farms, gins, yarn spinners, and mills/manufacturing units identified by the Project. CertainT will establish a baseline as part of the pilot Project of the framework for isotope testing and analyses.
MeiLin Wan, Vice President of Textiles at Applied DNA, said, “Our CertainT platform employs isotope testing as well as DNA tagging and genomic testing as forensic authentication technologies to establish traceability to prove origin. Our recent announcement with Indus Apparel of isotope testing with DNA tagging showcases the scalability and accessibility of cotton authentication technologies that will also help Pakistan’s cotton industry to enable compliance with U.S. import regulations and similar enforcement in other geographies.”
Global Trace Protocol Project Funding
Funding for the Global Trace Protocol project is provided by the United States Department of Labor under cooperative agreement number IL-35808-20-75-K-. 100 percent of the total costs of the Global Trace Protocol project is financed with federal funds, for a total of USD 4,000,000*.
The isotopic testing pilot project contract is awarded to Applied DNA through a subcontract from LRQA in support of the Global Trace Protocol project.
*This announcement does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the United States Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the United States Government.
About the CertainT® Platform
The CertainT® platform is a multi-proof point technology system that consists of isotope testing together with DNA tagging and genomic testing to enable secure supply chain traceability, transparency, and trust. The platform is grounded in over 15 years of Applied DNA’s expertise in the development of cotton-based diagnostic testing to verify the origin and authenticity of cotton. Under CertainT®, isotope testing is provided in collaboration with “Stratum Reservoir (Isotech), LLC, a Stratum Reservoir company” as the largest commercial isotope laboratory in the U.S., providing services to the oil and gas, food, and textiles industries, to name a few.
About LRQA
LRQA is the leading global assurance partner, bringing together decades of unrivalled expertise in assessment, advisory, inspection and cybersecurity services. LRQA’s solutions-based partnerships are supported by data-driven insights that help our clients solve their biggest business challenges.
Operating in more than 150 countries with a team of more than 5,000 people, LRQA’s award-winning compliance, supply chain, cybersecurity and ESG specialists help more than 61,000 clients across almost every sector to anticipate, mitigate and manage risk wherever they operate.
Through all its efforts, LRQA is committed to shaping a better future for people, clients, communities and planet.
About Applied DNA Sciences
Applied DNA Sciences is a biotechnology company developing technologies to produce and detect deoxyribonucleic acid (“DNA”). Using the polymerase chain reaction (“PCR”) to enable both the production and detection of DNA, we operate in three primary business markets: (i) the enzymatic manufacture of synthetic DNA for use in the production of nucleic acid-based therapeutics and, through our recent acquisition of Spindle Biotech, Inc. (“Spindle”), the development and sale of a proprietary RNA polymerase (“RNAP”) for use in the production of mRNA therapeutics; (ii) the detection of DNA and RNA in molecular diagnostics and genetic testing services; and (iii) the manufacture and detection of DNA for industrial supply chain security services.
Forward-Looking Statements
The statements made by Applied DNA in this press release may be “forward-looking” in nature within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements describe Applied DNA’s future plans, projections, strategies, and expectations, and are based on assumptions and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of Applied DNA. Actual results could differ materially from those projected due to its history of net losses, limited financial resources, unknown future demand for its CertainT® platform, the limited market acceptance for its CertainT Platform, the unknown future impact of the UFLPA on the demand for the CertainT platform, and various other factors detailed from time to time in Applied DNA’s SEC reports and filings, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K, as amended, filed on December 7, 2023, and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on February 8, 2024, May 10, 2024, and August 8, 2024, other reports it files with the SEC, which are available at www.sec.gov. Applied DNA undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events, or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, unless otherwise required by law.
Contacts:
LRQA:
Contact: Jeffrey Wheeler, jeffrey.wheeler@lrqa.com
LinkedIn: LRQA | LRQA Sustainability
APPLIED DNA:
Program contact: MeiLin Wan, meilin.wan@adnas.com
Investor Relations contact: Sanjay M. Hurry, 917-733-5573, sanjay.hurry@adnas.com
X: @APDN
LinkedIn: Applied DNA | CertainT®
Web: www.adnas.com | www.certaint.com