26 Jan 2010 07:00
26 January 2010 Source BioScience plc (`Source BioScience' or `the Company') Source BioScience trebles next generation DNA sequencing capacity and is established as one of the leading commercial service providers of Illumina sequencing technology in Europe
Source BioScience plc , the provider of expert, quality services to the life science research, pharma biotech and healthcare sectors, is pleased to announce the purchase of a further two Illumina Genome Analyzer IIx platforms to significantly enhance the Company's DNA sequencing service.
Source BioScience was the first commercial service provider for this technology in the UK and this additional investment will ensure Source BioScience's status as one of Europe's leading commercial service providers for this cutting edge technology.
HIGHLIGHTS
* Introduction of additional capacity will address the immediate demand for our Illumina sequencing services * This investment will provide increased throughput, reliability and process security to customers and will enable Source BioScience to set new standards in the quality and project turn around time for next generation sequencing services * The enhanced service portfolio will provide greater flexibility and encourage the development of new applications to meet individual customer requirements * Illumina CSPro certification awarded for sequencing service quality * Planned introduction of the Illumina HiSeq 2000 service during 2010
Source BioScience has invested £0.7 million in the Illumina Genome Analyzer platforms and ancillary equipment.
This investment further demonstrates the Company's commitment to be the market leader in Europe for the provision of expert, high quality laboratory services to the life science research and healthcare sectors. The Company's DNA sequencing solution is based on a combination of Sanger sequencing and next generation sequencing coupled with comprehensive bioinformatic support. The enhanced service portfolio will provide greater flexibility and encourage the development of new applications to meet individual customer requirements.
Source BioScience already operates customer-focused DNA sequencing laboratories in four major academic centres across the UK and this additional investment in the Nottingham facility will ensure that the Company remains at the forefront of conventional and next generation DNA sequencing. The Illumina technology platforms perfectly complement Source BioScience's extensive portfolio of genomic and diagnostic platforms, with applications in life science research as well as molecular pathology and clinical diagnostics.
The Company is also delighted to announce that is has been awarded CSPro certified service provider status by Illumina, one of only ten laboratories in the world. Illumina CSPro is a collaborative service partnership dedicated to ensuring the delivery of the highest quality data available for genetic analysis applications; in short it gives customers a `guarantee of excellence'. Source BioScience is the only commercial provider in the UK to have CSPro certification and underlines the Company's commitment to deliver the highest possible level of service to its customers and Illumina's confidence in our offering.
Nick Ash, Managing Director of Source BioScience said: "We commissioned our first Illumina Genome Analyzer in 2008, becoming the first commercial service provider of this technology in the UK. We originally selected the Illumina platform because the data quality, reproducibility, flexibility and breadth of applications are, in our opinion, the best in the industry.
This additional investment in the Genome Analyzer will establish Source BioScience as one of the leading commercial service providers of Illumina sequencing technology in Europe. Our enhanced service will provide increased throughput, reliability and process security to our customers and enable us to set new standards in the quality and turn around time for next generation sequencing services.
We are also delighted to see Illumina's recent launch of the HiSeq 2000, the new high throughput sequencing platform, which is complementary with the Genome Analyzer. Source BioScience will be introducing this latest technology during the course of 2010 alongside our existing Genome Analyzer based service."
Alexander McBean, General Manager Europe, Illumina UK Limited added: "We are very excited about working with Source BioScience to be a leading CSPro certified sequencing provider in Europe."
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For further information, please contact:
Source BioScience plcDr Nick AshManaging DirectorTel: +44 (0) 115 973 9010www.sourcebioscience.comIllumina UK LimitedAlexander McBeanGeneral Manager EuropeTel: +44 (0) 1582 712223www.illumina.comBishopsgate CommunicationsNick Rome / Gemma O'HaraTel: + 44 (0) 207 562 3350www.bishopsgatecommunications.com
About Source BioScience:
Source BioScience is a highly focused healthcare and biotechnology company providing diagnostic and screening services to the healthcare community and genetic analyses and biomolecular tools and products to the life science research and pharma biotech sectors.
Its Healthcare operations provide screening and reference laboratory diagnostic testing for cancer and other diseases and additional predictive testing for treatment optimisation for clinicians and patients. Pharma Biotech Services offers support for early stage therapeutic development, offering a 'one-stop shop' from tissue pathology, immunohistochemistry, sophisticated image analysis, biomarker determination and assay development to pharmacogenomics including genotyping and gene expression analysis. Life Science Research services provide core laboratory research support from conceptualization to implementation, calling upon a wide range of cutting-edge technology platforms including an online catalogue of biomolecular tools. This incorporates DNA sequencing, whole genome amplification and a comprehensive library of genomic reagents and clones including cDNA and RNAi, as well as facilitating rapid access to high quality antibodies, cell cultures, diagnostic assays for cancer and other genetic testing, and related research tools.
The Group has its headquarters in Nottingham, UK where it operates state of the art reference laboratory facilities, with additional UK laboratory facilities in London, Cambridge and Oxford. Source BioScience is CPA, GLP and GCP accredited and is licensed by the Human Tissue Authority.
Further information about Source BioScience can be found at www.sourcebioscience.com
About Illumina:
Illumina is a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of next-generation life-science tools and integrated systems for the analysis of genetic variation and biological function. Using proprietary technologies, they provide a comprehensive line of products and services that currently serve the sequencing, genotyping, and gene expression markets, and they expect to enter the market for molecular diagnostics. Customers include leading genomic research centres, pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, clinical research organizations, and biotechnology companies. Their tools provide researchers around the world with the performance, throughput, cost effectiveness, and flexibility necessary to perform the billions of genetic tests needed to extract valuable medical information from advances in genomics and proteomics. Illumina believe this information will enable researchers to correlate genetic variation and biological function, which will enhance drug discovery and clinical research, allow diseases to be detected earlier, and permit better choices of drugs for individual patients.
Further information about Illumina can be found at www.illumina.com
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