BOULDER - Kathy Rowlen, the chemist, inventor and former professor who co-founded bioscience company InDevR Inc., speaks the language of business.

Describing the company's just-launched Virus Counter, she says, "It allows customers to do in 30 minutes what used to take seven days. It costs less and produces more accurate results."

Viruses, which cause diseases ranging from measles to polio, are among the smallest particles in microbiology. They're essential raw materials for companies and institutions engaged in research and development projects related to infectious diseases, vaccines and gene therapy, among others.

InDevR seeks to meet researchers' need for fast, accurate and cost-effective techniques to measure the concentration of viruses in particular samples.

The Virus Counter is an instrument about the size of a business-quality desktop printer. The footprint is important, Rowlen says, because "labs are full of scientific equipment and space is valuable."

In preparation for a virus count, a scientist introduces two dyes into the sample and incubates it at room temperature for about 30 minutes. The Virus Counter's flow cell regulates the passage of the sample, moving particles past a laser probe one at a time. When the Counter's laser beam strikes the sample, one dye causes proteins to emit red light; the other causes nucleic acid to emit yellow light.

Each of the Virus Counter's detectors responds to one of these kinds of light. Intact viruses contain protein and nucleic acid, so these particles show up simultaneously on both detection channels. That yields an accurate count of the number of viruses in the sample.

The Virus Counter's InCyt software delivers real-time analysis of the concentration of the virus.

Until the introduction of the Virus Counter, researchers have quantified viruses using plaque titer assays, a process that involves cultivating virus samples in Petri dishes for up to seven days. Since it also requires a scientist to count the number of grey spots - killed cells - that appear on each dish, that process introduces a subjective element into the calculation.

At a cost of about $3 per sample processed, the Virus Counter offers significantly better speed and accuracy.

During the last four years, Rowlen and her colleagues have enhanced the original concept of the Virus Counter with feedback from scientists, including those at MedImmune, the biologics unit of AstraZeneca PLC.

In the InDevR statement announcing availability of the Virus Counter, Kuldip Sra, MedImmune's principal scientist of vaccine analytical sciences, says his organization "looks forward to employing the Virus Counter to streamline several processes in vaccine development."

Connecticut-based Protein Science Corp., which is developing a new form of influenza vaccine, uses the Virus Counter to monitor virus levels during the fermentation process. In a case study published on the InDevR Web site, Protein Science officials say the Virus Counter yields accurate results in minutes rather than the six days required by traditional methods - a crucial factor for a company striving to combat potentially pandemic outbreaks of flu.

The Virus Counter lists for about $60,000. Leasing options are available.

With its 17-member staff, InDevR can produce about 100 Virus Counter units annually.

The woman-owned company plans to stay in Colorado. "We do it all here," Rowlen notes. That includes mechanical and electrical engineering, software development, marketing, sales and service. InDevR currently has openings in research and sales.

Initial funding for the privately held company has come from more than $8 million in federal grants awarded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

In addition to the Virus Counter, InDevR is developing other instruments and life science products focused on microorganisms. They include tools to detect and identify pathogens. Among them is the FluChip, which distinguishes seasonal and non-seasonal influenza A viruses.

While Rowlen did not disclose revenue projections, she said the company would be profitable this year. It plans to fund future growth internally. "We'll keep lean, reinvest profits and make new instruments," she says.

Rowlen acknowledges that many experts advise companies to develop an exit strategy from the start. "That seems backward," she suggests. "We're focused on building a solid foundation and growing from there. We want to create a sound Colorado company that lasts for a long time."

John Collar, chief executive and president of the Colorado Bioscience Association, applauds InDevR's efforts and intentions, noting the increasing importance of bioscience to the Colorado economy. "We hope they stay here and grow rapidly," he said.

Collar believes InDevR's plan to fund its own growth, while difficult to execute, aligns with an environment that has changed dramatically in the last few years. "Angel investors and venture capitalists are less interested in early-stage companies now," he explains, "so if you can make it through the early stages self-funded, do it."