DNA firm wins trial military contract

Applied DNA Sciences Inc. said Wednesday it has won a $1-million trial contract from the Defense Department after it successfully completed an anti-counterfeiting trial program in which it marked military-grade microchips with unique strands of DNA.

The test was done for the Defense Logistics Agency as part of Stony Brook-based Applied DNA's effort to gain a large-scale U.S. military contract.

"Used systematically, DNA marking could prevent counterfeit microchips, which might be defective and possibly dangerous, from entry at any point in the Department of Defense's supply chain," Applied DNA said in announcing the contract. "The initial results were so successful that APDN has already been awarded a follow-on contract."