11th Feb 2008 07:01
Medical Solutions PLC11 February 2008 For further information, please contact: Medical Solutions plc Nick Ash Managing Director Tel: 0115 973 9010 www.medical-solutions.co.uk Bishopsgate Communications Ltd Nick Rome/Gemma O'Hara Tel: 0207 562 3350 www.bishopsgatecommunications.com 11 February 2008 Medical Solutions plc ("Medical Solutions" or the "Company") EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT Medical Solutions enters an exclusive UK agreement with Empire Genomics, LLC asa distributor and service provider for ACCUArray genotyping The Board of Medical Solutions plc (LSE: MLS), the provider of expert, qualityDNA sequencing and genotyping services to the healthcare, pharma biotech andlife sciences research sectors, is pleased to announce that it will partner withEmpire Genomics, Inc. to be the exclusive UK distributor and service providerfor its ACCUArray array comparative genomic hybridization ("aCGH") genotypingtechnology. In addition to distributing the product, Medical Solutions will also offer thegenotyping service from its laboratories in Nottingham, which will includein-house bioinformatics analysis and support. HIGHLIGHTS • Exclusive distributor and service provider in the UK; • Medical Solutions to offer both Human and Mouse ACCUArray aCGH as a product and also provide the genotyping service that will include in-house bioinformatic analysis; • Novel DNA array for pre-natal, cancer and pharmacogenetic testing with diagnostic and research applications; • Enhanced portfolio of genomic products and services provided in GLP, GCP and CPA accredited laboratories. The addition of Empire Genomics ACCUArray will complement Medical Solutionsexisting portfolio of genomic products and contract research services includingDNA clones and genomic analyses. The assay has clinical diagnostic applicationsfor the healthcare community and can be used for pharmacogenetic testing bycompanies in the pharma biotech sector. This further demonstrates the Company'scommitment to be a market leader in the UK for the provision of expert, qualitylaboratory services and genomic reagents to the healthcare and life scienceresearch sectors. Dr Tom Weaver, Commercial Director for Medical Solutions, said "The diagnosticcapability of this assay is of particular interest to those groups in thehealthcare community involved in cytogenetic and pre and post natal testing.ACCUArray aCGH provides a tremendous tool for the identification of geneticaberrations linked with a number of diseases and conditions such as cancer,autism, mental health problems including Alzheimer's, several congenitalabnormalities and certain syndromes including Down Syndrome". Dr Weaver added "The Empire Genomics aCGH kit, provides a high resolution androbust screening procedure for researchers, clinicians and pharmacologists. Thesupporting software provides data analysis within 24 hours in a concise andaccessible format." - ends - About Medical Solutions Medical Solutions is a leading provider of expert, quality services and productsto the healthcare, pharma biotech and life science research sectors. ItsHealthcare operations provide screening products and reference laboratorydiagnostic testing services for cancer and other diseases and additionalpredictive 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 topharmacogenomics including genotyping and gene expression analysis. The LifeScience Research services provide core laboratory research support fromconceptualization to implementation, calling upon a wide ranging of cutting-edgetechnology platforms including and an online catalogue of biomolecular tools.This incorporates DNA sequencing, whole genome amplification and a comprehensivelibrary of genomic reagents and clones including cDNA and RNAi. The group has its headquarters in Nottingham, UK where it operates state of theart reference laboratory facilities, with additional UK laboratory facilities inCambridge and Oxford. Medical Solutions is CPA, GLP and GCP accredited and islicensed by the Human Tissue Authority. Further information is available fromwww.medical-solutions.co.uk About Empire Genomics Empire Genomics, based in Buffalo, New York, utilises proprietary techniques toidentify and quantify chromosomal abnormalities. Specifically the company hasevolved array-based Comparative Genomic Hybridization ("aCGH") by developingmicroarrays that utilize discrete segments of DNA generated from the RoswellPark Cancer Institute ("RPCI") bacterial artificial chromosome ("BAC") clones.These are of considerable diagnostic value to early stage disease detection andtreatment, and streamline the process by eliminating the need to grow cells orobtain large sample amounts. The company was founded on the research experienceof Dr Norma Nowak and her more than 100 peer reviewed research publications.More information on Empire Genomics is available at www.empiregenomics.com. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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