5th Sep 2005 07:03
Tepnel Life Sciences PLC05 September 2005 Tepnel Life Sciences PLC ('Tepnel' or 'the Company') Tepnel licences rights to routine chromosome detection tests Manchester, U.K. Tepnel (AIM: TED) announces that it has licenced the globalrights to develop, manufacture and market a DNA-based diagnostic assay for therapid prenatal detection of common fetal chromosome abnormalities, includingDown Syndrome. The simple one tube test uses QF-PCR (Quantitative FluorescencePolymerase Chain Reaction) technology that provides a rapid and cost effectivealternative to conventional chromosome analysis with results being routinelyreported in less than 2 days. The rights have been licenced from Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust inthe UK. Guy's Hospital is one of the founders of the application of QF-PCR forroutine diagnostic procedures. The assay developed by Guy's has been implementedby other laboratories in the UK and overseas; rapid prenatal testing is nowrecognised as a basic standard of prenatal health care. Tepnel is a leader in the development and manufacture of in vitro diagnosticproducts for the predisposition and diagnosis of human genetic disease. TheELUCIGENE brand of CE marked products has for the past 10 years providedefficient and simple methods for genetic testing and screening mutationsresponsible for human inherited disease and are routinely used in manylaboratories around the world. Tepnel Diagnostics will develop and manufacturethe QF-PCR assays under licence from Guy's & St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust asa fully validated and CE marked in vitro diagnostic product enabling diagnosticlaboratories to easily implement this rapid and cost effective technology intoroutine genetic testing. Pregnant women at elevated risk of fetal chromosome abnormalities (as determinedby age, serum markers or ultrasound) are routinely offered prenatal diagnosis.Approximately 40,000 amniocentesis or chorionic villus samples are taken in theUK each year for chromosome abnormality testing. Approximately 8% of thesesamples do exhibit an abnormality, the majority of which are the chromosomeaneuploidies, trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome), trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome) andtrisomy 21 (Down Syndrome). The Tepnel test for these common chromosomeaneuploidies will be available later this year under the name Elucigene QST*R. Useful links:www.tepnel.co.uk www.elucigene.com For further information Tepnel Life Sciences plcBen Matzilevich, CEOGron Ffoulkes-Davies, Finance Director 0161 946 2200 Seymour Pierce Mark Percy, Corporate Finance0207 107 8000 De Facto Communications Richard Anderson020 7940 1000 Notes to Editors About Tepnel Life Sciences plcTepnel is a UK based international biotechnology company. The Company haslaboratories, manufacturing and operations in the USA, UK and France with 175employees. Tepnel provides test kits, reagents and services to two highlysynergistic markets, these being Molecular Diagnostics and Biomedical Research.The company's strategy has been to identify high growth niche opportunitieswithin these multi-billion pound markets. Tepnel focuses on these nicheopportunities with internally developed products, patents, expertise andknow-how as well as strategic acquisitions, to develop a leadership positionwithin these defined market segments. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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