Company Announcements

Genia Technologies announced in October a collaboration with investigators at Columbia University and Harvard University to develop a nanopore-based sequencing system for use in the clinic. The system would combine Genia’s COMOS integrated circuit, Professor George Church’s novel protein constructs and Columbia’s unique Tag-based sequencing chemistry approach. Genia entered into an exclusive license for the Columbia’s technology.

GnuBio completed a $10 million Series B round of equity financing in October. The company plans to commercialize its microfluidics-based sequencers in 2013.

In October, Stratos Genomics received $2 million on the achievement of a milestone in its development of its “Sequencing by Expansion” nanopore-based technology.

Life Technologies signed a license and supply agreement, giving VelaDx rights to develop and market in vitro diagnostic tests for the Ion Personal Genome Machine.

GenCellBiosystems raised $3.5 million in seed funding in October. Its Composite Liquid Cell platform technology is a new method for confining, transporting, combining, processing and analyzing biological reactions.

Product Introductions

In September, NanoString launched a Single Cell Gene Expansion application for its nCounter Analysis System.

GE Healthcare and NetBio introduced the fast, easy-to-use DNAscan Rapid DNA Analysis System for forensic applications. It performs fully automated purification, PCR amplification, electrophoresis and Expert System data analysis to generate an STR profile.

IntegenX introduced in October the RapidHIT 200 Human DNA Identification System, which extracts DNA and performs STR amplifications, electrophoretic separations and software analysis.

Seahorse Bioscience launched in October the XFe Extracellular Flux Analyzer, which measures mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis in a microplate in real time.

ULVAC’s Initium subsidiary launched in October the quartz crystal microbalance–based AFFINIX Q8 for analyzing molecular interactions.

Sales/Orders of Note

Illumina announced in September that it was awarded a contract worth $17 million over five years to provide the FDA with MiSeq systems and reagents for conducting whole-genome analysis on produce and produce-related Salmonella and shigatoxigenic E. coli isolates.

China Health Labs & Diagnostics secured in October a $11.6 million order from the Beijing municipal government for food safety products ($4.6 million) and its Type B BK Food Safety Rapid Test System ($7.0 million).

Seahorse Bioscience announced in October the shipment of its 600th instrument to Thomas Jefferson University.