4th Feb 2008 07:01
Medical Solutions PLC04 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 4 February 2008 Medical Solutions plc ("Medical Solutions" or the "Company") Medical Solutions becomes first UK commercial service provider of Illumina nextgeneration DNA sequencing and genotyping applications The Board of Medical Solutions plc (LSE: MLS), a UK-based provider of expert,quality DNA sequencing and genotyping services to the healthcare, pharma biotechand life sciences research sectors, is pleased to announce that it isimplementing a new technology platform at its Nottingham laboratory that willhelp to broaden the Company's offering and increase efficiencies. Medical Solutions will become the UK's first commercial service provider forthese leading edge systems, which it will be sourcing from Illumina, Inc. HIGHLIGHTS • Medical Solutions to offer both Illumina's Genome Analyzer, a next generation DNA sequencing system and Infinium whole genome genotyping on the BeadStation platform; • First commercial service provider of Illumina applications in the UK; • Complete pipeline of histopathology to genomic services, including DNA extraction, biobanking, whole genome amplification and DNA sequencing in GLP, GCP and CPA accredited laboratories Adoption of Illumina's DNA sequencing and genotyping platforms will complementMedical Solutions' extensive portfolio of diagnostic and contract researchservices ranging from cell and tissue to genomic analysis. This furtherdemonstrates the Company's commitment to be a market leader in the UK for theprovision of expert, quality laboratory services to the healthcare, pharmabiotech and life science research sectors. Dr Tom Weaver, Commercial Director for Medical Solutions said, "We selected theIllumina platforms because the data quality, reproducibility, flexibility andbreadth of applications are, in our opinion, the best in the industry. Thisrepresents cutting edge technology capable of revealing an enormous volume ofgenetic information. Customers have already expressed significant interest inapplications run on the Genome Analyzer and BeadStation platforms, and it is ourintention to develop strategic partnerships with these early adopters, enablingthem to take full advantage of the power of whole genome analysis by providinghigh-quality data in an accredited quality laboratory environment. " Dr. Weaver added, "Illumina DNA sequencing and genotyping platforms are alsocapable of delivering analyses in the expanding field of personalised genomicservices." "The addition of Illumina's Genome Analyzer and BeadStation platformsdemonstrates the level of commitment Medical Solutions has to its customers andto providing them with leading-edge technologies that enable whole genomeanalysis" said Karen Possemato, Director of Corporate Marketing at Illumina. "Their added interest in becoming an Illumina CSPro further supports the valueMedical Solutions sees in Illumina's products and how this program can be a keyfactor in their success." - ends - Notes to Editors: 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. About Illumina Illumina (www.illumina.com) is a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketerof next-generation life-science tools and integrated systems for the analysis ofgenetic variation and biological function. Using our proprietary technologies,we provide a comprehensive line of products and services that currently servethe sequencing, genotyping, and gene expression markets, and we expect to enterthe market for molecular diagnostics. Our customers include leading genomicresearch centers, pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, clinicalresearch organizations, and biotechnology companies. Our tools provideresearchers around the world with the performance, throughput, costeffectiveness, and flexibility necessary to perform the billions of genetictests needed to extract valuable medical information from advances in genomicsand proteomics. We believe this information will enable researchers to correlategenetic variation and biological function, which will enhance drug discovery andclinical research, allow diseases to be detected earlier, and permit betterchoices of drugs for individual patients. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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