BOULDER — BioStar Inc., which recently announced a merger with Denver-based Cortech Inc., has been granted four new patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and through the Patent Cooperation Treaty.

The four patents, the company said, strengthen the proprietary position of BioStar’s Optical ImmunoAssay technology by increasing the total number of U.S. patents to 15 and the total number of international patents issued under the treaty to six. Each patent granted by

the treaty is the basis for individual national patents.

One international patent, Biostar said, enhances the position of an optical medical device technology, while a U.S. patent covers the production processes for that technology. Both are instrumental in the operation of an optical immunoassay to detect infectious diseases.

“The issuance of these patents further demonstrates the uniqueness and differentiation of our proprietary 0IA technology and strengthens our overall competitive position,´ said Teresa Ayers, BioStar’s president and chief executive officer in a press release. “Physician experience and numerous clinical studies have confirmed the superiority of this technology in terms of its ability to detect infectious diseases in the rapid care market.”

BioStar specializes in developing and producing highly sensitive point-of-care tests for infectious diseases such as group A and group B streptococci and chlamydia. In a December deal with Cortech (Nasdaq, CRTQ), BioStar will become a publicly traded company