Hong Kong 4/21/10—Techcomp has announced a strategic alliance with Shanghai Precision & Scientific Instruments for the manufacture and sale of analytical balances in China. The companies have formed Techcomp Jingke Scientific Instruments, in which Techcomp holds a 51% share and Shanghai Precision holds a 49% share. Techcomp Jingke Scientific Instruments will acquire Shanghai Precision’s analytical balance business and manufacture the products. Techcomp and Shanghai Precision will also form another company, in which Techcomp will hold a 49% share, to distribute the products.

The $4.15 per share offering compares to a closing stock price of $5.37 the day prior to the announcement. The company reported cash, cash equivalents and current marketable securities of $29.2 million, as of March 31. On its quarterly conference call, the company explained that the Trisomy 21 test would use Illumina’s sequencing platform, and that it will evaluate its use on Life Technologies’ SOLiD system. (For Sequenom’s quarterly results, see page 12.)