The Shafallah Center

5 Jun 2006 15:16

Amphion Innovations PLC05 June 2006 Amphion Innovations Partner Company Motif BioSciences Advised in the Design and Development of The Shafallah Center's Genetics Medical Center in Doha, Qatar NEW YORK, June 5, 2006 - Amphion Innovations plc (LSE:AMP - News; "Amphion"), aleading developer and operator of companies in the life sciences and medicaltechnology sectors, today announced that its partner company, Motif BioSciences,Inc., played an instrumental role in the design and development of The ShafallahCenter's Genetics Medical Center (SGMC) at the Shafallah Center for Childrenwith Special Needs, which opened last month in Doha, Qatar. Motif, working with personnel from the Shafallah Center, assisted in theprocurement of the design, identified the leading instrument vendors andassisted in installation of the SGMC, a first-of-its-kind genetics laboratorydedicated to conducting research on disorders that afflict the children ofQatar. These include rare autosomal recessive diseases, many of which areunique or first-discovered in the Gulf, as well as more common complex diseasessuch as autism and diabetes. The SGMC will anchor The Shafallah Center'sadvance to becoming a world-class center of research excellence along with itsexisting focus on clinical treatment, special education and related medicalservices. Motif selected the Illumina(R) genotyping BeadLab to anchor the SGMCinstallation. Illumina's technology platform enables large-scale diseaseassociation studies and a complete, end-to-end genetic analysis solution withextensive automation, positive sample tracking, and industry-leading whole-genome scanning performance. According to Richard Morgan, CEO of Amphion and Chairman of Motif, "The openingof The Shafallah Genetics Medical Center is surely one of the most importantdevelopments in this region when it comes to performing world class medicalresearch. We are both honored and delighted to be part of this ambitiousinitiative." About The Shafallah Center The Shafallah Center for Children with Special Needs (www.shafallah.org.qa) wasestablished at the behest of Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al Misnad,Consort of His Highness the Emir of the State of Qatar, with the intent ofproviding comprehensive services for need-based Qatari children. The Center isa non-profit, private institution and it is chaired by Hassan Ali Bin Ali. About Motif Biosciences, Inc. Motif BioSciences, Inc. (http://www.motifbio.com) is a population geneticscompany focused on discovering genetic causes of major diseases by interpretingthe wealth of genomic data from Arabian Gulf Region. For More Information: Motif BioSciences, Inc Richard Morgan 1 (212) 210-6224 Aaron Kwittken, Investor Relations 1 (646) 747-7144 Financial Dynamics Ben Atwell / John Gilbert +44 (0) 20 7831 3113 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange