Filter News

Roswell Park Cancer Institute Selects SEQUENOM's MassARRAY(R) System

Published: May 23, 2005

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. , 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.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040415/SQNMLOGOAP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.comSEQUENOM, Inc.

CONTACT: Amy Caterina, Investor Relations of SEQUENOM, Inc.,+1-858-202-9033, acaterina@sequenom.com

Back to news