RFID Microchip to Monitor Animals' Body Temperature

SO. ST. PAUL, Minn. /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Digital Angel Corp., an advanced technology company in the field of rapid and accurate identification, location tracking, and condition monitoring of high-value assets, announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted the company a patent for its Bio-Thermo (temperature-sensing) implantable RFID microchip, a syringe-implantable microchip designed for nonlaboratory applications that uses RFID technology to determine the body temperature of its host animal. Potential applications for the BioThermo chip include noninvasive monitoring of temperatures in cats, dogs, livestock, and horses and early detection of infectious diseases, such as Avian Bird Flu in poultry. Patents covering the same Bio-Thermo RFID technology are also currently pending in several other countries.

The patented technology covers a passive transponder, a sensor, and integrated circuit that together make it possible for someone with a scanner to determine the body temperature of an animal implanted with the Bio-Thermo RFID microchip. The Bio-Thermo microchips are being sold in the companion pet market in the United Kingdom, Japan, and the Philippines. The company is in discussions with South Africa, Israel, and Australia as well. In the equine market, the Bio-Thermo microchips are being sold in South Africa, and the company is in discussions with Japan as well.

"The Bio-Thermo microchip represents an important advance in the field of animal health," said Digital Angel President and CEO Kevin N. McGrath. "The technology allows veterinarians and animal owners to quickly, simply, and accurately monitor changes in the temperature of an animal, which is often a reliable indicator of wellness. The chips are already being well-received in markets around the world, and we look forward to introducing the chip in the pet and other animal markets in the U.S."

Digital Angel has begun marketing the chips in the U.S. equine market and is preparing to sell the Bio-Thermo microchips for the U.S. companion animal market. In connection with planned launch for the companion animal market, the company is planning to sponsor a study to test and document the correlation between the temperature measured by the subcutaneous microchip with other common forms of temperature measurement. This study is being discussed with the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

The patent, No. 7,015,826, was granted in March and is titled "Method and Apparatus for Sensing and Transmitting a Body Characteristic of a Host."

About Digital Angel Corp.
Digital Angel Corp. develops and deploys sensor and communications technologies that enable rapid and accurate identification, location tracking, and condition monitoring of high-value assets. Applications for the company's products include identification and monitoring of humans, pets, fish, poultry, and livestock through its patented implantable microchips; location tracking and message monitoring of vehicles and aircraft in remote locations through systems that integrate GPS and geosynchronous satellite communications; and monitoring of asset conditions, such as temperature and movement, through advanced miniature sensors.

Digital Angel Corp. is majority-owned by Applied Digital Inc. For more information about Digital Angel, please visit www.DigitalAngelCorp.com.