Collaboration to Produce Additional Biochips for Various Diseases
TETERBORO, N.J. and WALTHAM, Mass., April 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX) and Thermo Electron Corporation
(NYSE: TMO) announced that their collaboration has resulted in an automated,
biochip-based laboratory test for the detection of cystic fibrosis (CF) gene
mutations during prenatal screening. The new biochip array can be used for
multiplex testing, which allows multiple DNA targets to be detected
simultaneously in a high-production commercial laboratory setting. Thermo
Electron is a leading worldwide provider of advanced analytical technologies,
including laboratory instruments, consumables, and software, and Quest
Diagnostics is the nation's leading provider of gene-based medical testing.
The new biochip, called the CF Portrait(TM), is being used at Quest
Diagnostics Nichols Institute in San Juan Capistrano, California, to perform
cystic fibrosis carrier screening, which identifies parents who are at risk of
having children with the disease. The CF Portrait process is expected to be
used for all such screening at Nichols Institute by July 1, 2003. CF
screening is now recommended by the American College of Obstetrics and
Gynecology and the American College of Medical Genetics for all Caucasian
couples contemplating parenthood, according to guidelines the organizations
published in late 2001.
The CF Portrait biochip is designed and manufactured by Thermo Electron's
Thermo BioStar unit, part of the company's Clinical Diagnostics division, and
uses its proprietary Optical ImmunoAssay (OIA(R)) technology to fully automate
the detection of nucleic acid hybridization. The biochip is used in
conjunction with Quest Diagnostics' DNA extraction and amplification methods,
allowing improved turnaround time for physicians and their patients, as well
as tighter quality control for this critical prenatal test. Quest Diagnostics
has exclusive rights to incorporate the CF Portrait biochip into its
laboratory-developed testing methods, and its Nichols Institute Diagnostics
subsidiary has exclusive rights to further develop the biochip as part of a
testing system for laboratories worldwide. Additional terms of the agreement
were not disclosed.
"We are pleased that our unique collaboration with Quest Diagnostics has
produced this advance in biochip technology," said Marc Casper, president of
Thermo's Life and Laboratory Sciences sector. "This joint effort has enabled
us to rapidly develop and validate the biochip as a key component in cystic
fibrosis testing at Quest Diagnostics' laboratories. We look forward to
expanding our strategic relationship to develop additional genetic targets for
biochips beyond cystic fibrosis, and currently have two other multiplex assays
under development."
Charles Strom, M.D., Ph.D., medical director of genetics at Quest
Diagnostics Nichols Institute, said, "Through the collaboration with Thermo
Electron and incorporation of the biochip technology into a laboratory-
developed test, we are able to offer physicians improved turnaround time for
cystic fibrosis carrier screening and greater consistency and quality control,
which is particularly important in light of the dramatic increase in demand
for this test."
The CF Portrait biochip uses proprietary thin-film technology to place
assay probes on a coated silicon wafer. The wafer is cut into chips, each
with 64 activated spots used for detection and quality control. The chips are
placed at the bottom of a microtiter plate with 96 wells. In Quest
Diagnostics' laboratory, genetic material is extracted from patient samples
and amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology. A robotic
device then injects the amplified genetic material into the wells, where
hybridization of the patient's DNA, using both normal and mutant probes,
generates a signal seen as purple spots on the gold background of the chip.
The plate then proceeds to Thermo Electron's proprietary NucleoSight(TM)
imaging station for data acquisition, analysis, and report generation.
About Thermo Electron
Leading the world in high-tech instruments, Thermo Electron Corporation
helps life science, laboratory, and industrial customers advance scientific
knowledge, enable drug discovery, improve manufacturing processes, and protect
people and the environment with instruments, scientific equipment, and sample-
in/knowledge-out solutions. Based in Waltham, Massachusetts, Thermo Electron
has revenues of more than $2 billion, and employs approximately 11,000 people
in 30 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.thermo.com.
About Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics Incorporated is the nation's leading provider of
diagnostic testing, information and services, providing insights that enable
healthcare professionals to make decisions that improve health. The company
offers the broadest access to diagnostic testing services in the United States
through its national network of laboratories and patient service centers, and
provides interpretive consultation through its extensive medical and
scientific staff. Quest Diagnostics is the leading provider of esoteric
testing, including gene-based medical testing, and also empowers healthcare
organizations and clinicians with state-of-the-art connectivity solutions that
improve patient care. Additional company information is available at:
www.questdiagnostics.com.
The statements in this press release which are not historical facts or
information may be forward-looking statements. These forward-looking
statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and
outcomes to be materially different. Certain of these risks and uncertainties
may include, but are not limited to, unanticipated expenditures, changing
relationships with customers, suppliers and strategic partners, conditions of
the economy and other factors described in the Quest Diagnostics Incorporated
2002 Form 10-K and subsequent filings.
SOURCE Quest Diagnostics Incorporated; Thermo Electron Corporation
/CONTACT: Laure Park (Investors), +1-201-393-5030, or Gary Samuels
(Media), +1-201-393-5700, both of Quest Diagnostics; or Tim Corcoran, V.P.,
Investor Relations and Communications of Thermo Electron, +1-781-622-1306/
/Web site: http://www.questdiagnostics.com http://www.thermo.com /
(DGX TMO)
CO: Quest Diagnostics Incorporated; Thermo Electron Corporation
ST: New Jersey, Massachusetts, California
IN: MTC HEA BIO CPR
SU: JVN