Constance, Germany - July 30, 2007 - GATC Biotech, a leading sequencing service provider in Europe, today announced the acquisition of a SOLiD™ DNA sequencing system from Applied Biosystems. The new system will be the third next generation sequencing technology to be installed in GATC's German research facility in Constance, which currently holds the GS FLX™ from Roche Diagnostics as well as the Genome Analyzer™ from Illumina. Being a part of Applied Biosystems' Early-Access Program, the SOLiD™ System is expected to be installed in early autumn this year and will boost the company's current sequencing capacity from 130 gigabases to 250 gigabases a year. Therefore GATC will be the first and only commercial sequencing service provider worldwide being able to offer ultra high-throughput DNA analysis using all three leading next generation sequencing technologies. The total investment exceeds 2 million Euros.

 

"We decided to acquire the SOLiD™ System in order to complement our range of next generation sequencers, as they are all based on different technologies or chemistries," said Thomas Pohl, CTO of GATC Biotech. "This unique scope gives us the opportunity to develop a wide breadth of different applications in cooperation with our customers and the manufacturers. We are proud to join Applied Biosystems' Early-Access Program as we are able to elaborate the best strategy for each distinct sequencing project in a very early stage. By using the 454 and Solexa systems in combination with the classic Sanger method for various projects we have already gained profound knowledge with the next generation sequencing systems during the past months. This experience will be extremely valuable for implementing the SOLiD™ system quickly into daily lab routines and to use it for standard as well as for cutting-edge applications. Moreover, our customers will have access to the latest technology of Applied Biosystems in a very early stage."

About GATC Biotech
With more than 17 years' experience, GATC Biotech is a leading provider of DNA sequencing services and bioinformatics software for industry and academia worldwide. GATC Biotech offers complete sequencing solutions, from sample prep to high throughput genome sequencing and bioinformatics. It is the only company in Europe that uses all three leading high throughput sequencing technologies, the ABI 3730XL™, Illumina Genome Analyzer™ and Roche GS FLX™, providing the flexibility to tailor programs to meet customer requirements. A SOLiD™ sequencing system from Applied Biosystems will complement the scope of next generation sequencing technologies in autum 2007. The sequencing services are complemented by a range of innovative bioinformatics software including Lasergene™ (DNA sequence analysis software) by DNASTAR Inc., ePath3D™ (3D pathway drawing tool) by Protein Lounge, Mutation Surveyor™/Mutation Explorer™ (DNA variant analysis software) and GeneMarker™ (Software for AFLP and genotyping) by SoftGenetics, as well as ERGO™ (genome analysis suite) by Integrated Genomics. Headquartered in Constance, Germany, GATC Biotech has close to 60 employees and serves over 10,000 customers in 40 countries. The company has subsidiaries in France and the UK, as well as offices in the UK, Germany and Switzerland. GATC Biotech is privately owned and has been ISO-certified since 1997.

Contact:

GATC Biotech AG

Elke Decker

Senior Director Marketing
Jakob-Stadler-Platz 7
D-78467 Konstanz
Tel: +49-7531-8160-36
Fax: +49-7531-8160-81
e.decker@gatc-biotech.com