San Diego, May 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Roswell Park Cancer Institute
(Roswell Park), a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer
center, purchased a MassARRAY(R) system to conduct genetic cancer research at
its facility in Buffalo, NY, it was announced by SEQUENOM, Inc.
(Nasdaq: SQNM), today. Roswell Park will use SEQUENOM's proprietary MassARRAY
system to perform SNP Genotyping and other applications that are key functions
in determining genetic connections in cancer research.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040415/SQNMLOGO)
"Roswell Park has recently purchased the SEQUENOM MassARRAY Compact
analyzer for pharmacogenomic studies in breast cancer patients to predict
response to treatment and to identify individuals at risk for cardiovascular
disease," stated Dr. Norma Nowak, Ph.D., Director, Microarray and Genomics
Facility, Roswell Park and Director of Scientific Planning, Center for
Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, University at Buffalo, State
University of New York.
"Roswell Park Cancer Institute, a major cancer institute, intends to
utilize MassARRAY technology in their efforts to unlock the genetic code for a
variety of cancer types," stated Mike Terry, Executive Vice President, Sales
and Marketing of SEQUENOM. "MassARRAY technology can provide solutions from
SNP genotyping to allele-specific gene expression and quantitative methylation
analysis that will benefit Roswell Park's efforts to unravel the puzzle of
cancer and extend their research into clinically relevant applications.
Annual cancer funding in the U.S. is $14.4 billion and represents a key growth
opportunity for SEQUENOM. Due to the unique attributes of the MassARRAY
system when applied to cancer research, SEQUENOM is targeting the top 50
designated cancer centers in the U.S."
"Many of the major cancer centers maintain large banks of archived tumor
samples including formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples. These samples
are an extremely valuable resource for discovery markers useful for cancer
diagnosis, selecting and evaluating therapies, monitoring therapeutic
response, and detecting disease recurrence," continued Terry.
Recently published in the March 2005 issue of Human Mutation, a study
entitled "MALDI-TOF MS and TaqMan Assisted SNP Genotyping of DNA Isolated from
Formalin-Fixed and Paraffin-Embedded Tissues (FFPET)" demonstrated that
SEQUENOM's MassARRAY system which uses MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry as its
detector provides reliable data and is therefore applicable for studies that
require large scale FFPET genotyping. Scientists at the Dr. Margarete
Fischer-Bosch Institute for Clinical Pharmacology and the GSF National
Research Center for Environmental Health conducted this research using the
MassARRAY system. For more information on the study, please visit the
publisher's website at
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/jissue/109924301 .
About Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Roswell Park Cancer Institute, founded in 1898, is the nation's first
cancer research, treatment and education center and is the only National
Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York.
RPCI is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an
alliance of the nation's leading cancer centers. For more information, visit
the RPCI website at http://www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-RPCI (1-877-275-7724)
or e-mail askrpci@roswellpark.org.
About SEQUENOM
SEQUENOM is committed to providing the best genetic analysis products that
translate genomic science into superior solutions for molecular medicine and
biomedical research. The Company's proprietary MassARRAY system is a
high-performance DNA analysis platform that efficiently and precisely measures
the amount of genetic target material and variations therein. The system is
able to deliver reliable and specific data from complex biological samples and
from genetic target material that is only available in trace amounts. For
more information, visit http://www.sequenom.com.
SEQUENOM(R) and MassARRAY(R) are registered trademarks of SEQUENOM, Inc.
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set
forth in this press release, including statements related to cancer as a key
growth opportunity for SEQUENOM, the positioning of the MassARRAY system as a
valuable tool in cancer research, and the utilization of MassARRAY technology
by researchers in research for genetic connections to cancer and the extension
of cancer research into clinically relevant applications, are forward-looking
statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements
are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ
materially, including the risks and uncertainties associated with the
development and commercialization of any new technology, and particularly
technology related to or involving tests for, or treatment of, disease such as
cancer, and other risks detailed from time to time in SEQUENOM's SEC filings,
including SEQUENOM's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2004, and most recently Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. These
forward-looking statements are based on current information that is likely to
change and speak only as of the date hereof.
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