Thermo Scientific Products Improve Automation and Efficiency for Cytogenetics Department

Runcorn, Cheshire. — Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, today announced that the West of Scotland Regional Cytogenetics Service has chosen the Thermo Scientific Varistain Gemini ES banding machine and Thermo Scientific ClearVue automated

coverslipping machine for improved automation in the postnatal laboratory at its Department of Cytogenetics. The Varistain Gemini ES is setting new standards for the efficiency of slide banding at the facility, reducing the slide-making and banding workload of the technical staff by nearly 50

percent. In addition, the ClearVue solves the workflow hassles facing the laboratory, delivering the speed and precision that the postnatal division demands. The coverslipping machine ensures that each slide is uniform in both the placement of the coverslip and the depth of the mountant, significantly improving the procedure.

The West of Scotland Regional Cytogenetics Service provides assistance to approximately three million people in western Scotland. The postnatal laboratory is using a full range of standard cytogenetic techniques and molecular cytogenetic technology to provide comprehensive chromosome

analysis for both constitutional and acquired abnormalities. The laboratory processes approximately 6,500 analyses per year: nearly 2,800 of these are postnatal referrals. With such a high turnaround, the laboratory recognized that it needed to implement automated procedures to improve reporting times,

quality and success rates.

Prior to installing the Thermo Scientific instrumentation, the postnatal laboratory experienced challenges with manual coverslipping and inconsistent speed in its manual banding process. The division needed an automated solution to increase throughput of blood samples, ensuring more efficient

sample turnaround, slide preparation and reporting of results.

Jim Colgan, principal scientist for the postnatal laboratory, explains: “We selected the Thermo Scientific instrumentation for its excellent efficiency and capability to meet even the most demanding applications. Overall, with the new instrumentation our laboratory workflows have been considerably

enhanced, and throughput of blood samples has been accelerated while ensuring optimum results.”

For the West of Scotland Regional Cytogenetics Service, automating its procedures with the postnatal laboratory has led to a significant improvement in reporting times, quality and success rates. It has also

decreased the poor quality rate for both routine and urgent blood samples.

For more information about Thermo Scientific laboratory automation equipment, please call + 44 (0)800 018 9396, e-mail pathology@scottpr.com or visit www.thermo.com/pathology.

Thermo Scientific is part of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

About Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) is the world leader in serving science, enabling our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. With 2008 revenues of $10.5 billion, we have approximately 35,000 employees and serve over 350,000 customers within pharmaceutical and biotech companies, hospitals and clinical diagnostic labs, universities, research institutions and government agencies, as well as environmental and industrial process control settings. Serving customers through two premier brands, Thermo Scientific and Fisher Scientific, we help solve analytical challenges from routine testing to complex research and discovery. Thermo Scientific offers customers a complete range of high-end analytical instruments as well as laboratory equipment, software, services, consumables and reagents to enable integrated laboratory workflow solutions. Fisher Scientific provides a complete portfolio of laboratory equipment, chemicals, supplies and services used in healthcare, scientific research, safety and education. Together, we offer the most convenient purchasing options to customers and continuously advance our technologies to accelerate the pace of scientific discovery, enhance value for customers and fuel growth for shareholders and employees alike. Visit www.thermofisher.com.

For further press information please contact: Laura Browne, The Scott

Partnership, 1 Whiteside, Station Road, Holmes Chapel, Cheshire CW4 8AA, United Kingdom Tel: + 44 1477 539539 Fax: +44 1477 539 540 E-mail: pathology@scottpr.com