Beckman Instruments Inc. of Fullerton, Calif., announced that it is one of a consortiumof companies that has received a $9.23 million matching grant from the U.S. Department ofCommerce to develop technologies that could speed the process of DNA analysis.

the award was announced Dec. 17 by Commerce Secretary Barbara Hackman Franklin. Thetechnology in development, called “genosensors,“ could increase the speed anddecrease the cost of genome mapping and sequencing, making DNA analyzers potentially moreuseful in medical diagnostics, forensics, drug development and agricultural research.

Other companies in the consortium include Baylor College of Medicine, GenosysBiotechnologies Inc., Houston Advanced Research Center, Laboratories for Genetic Services,Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Microfab Technologies Inc. and TriplexPharmaceutical Corp.