WaferGen Biosystems Expands Scientific Advisory Board

FREMONT, Calif., June 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- WaferGen Biosystems, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: WGBS), a leading developer of state-of-the-art genomic analysis systems, today announced that it has named Andre Marion, co-founder and former Chairman and CEO of Applied Biosystems (now part of Life Technologies), and Muneesh Tewari, M.D., Ph.D., faculty member at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, as members of its Scientific Advisory Board.

“Mr. Marion and Dr. Tewari add executive R&D, commercialization, and clinical experience to a distinguished Board of academia and industry experts in cancer research, real-time PCR, molecular diagnostic platforms, and intellectual property,” said Alnoor Shivji, Chairman and CEO, WaferGen. “Such a prestigious group reflects recognition of the market potential of our genomic analysis technology and the SmartChip Real-Time PCR System specifically.”

Andre Marion

“Andre Marion brings vast experience in the development and worldwide commercialization of life sciences tools from his leadership at Applied Biosystems, a highly successful global life sciences tools company,” said Shivji. “His far-reaching understanding of this market will contribute to our successful commercialization of the SmartChip System and will continue to guide us to address the genomic analysis needs of scientists developing gene-based medicines.”

Andre F. Marion retired from the Perkin-Elmer Corporation as the President of its Applied Biosystems Division on February 1, 1995. Mr. Marion was the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, and President of Applied Biosystems, Inc. at the time of its merger with Perkin-Elmer in 1993. As one of the founders of Applied Biosystems, Inc., Andre Marion served as its Chairman of the Board from October of 1987, President and Chief Executive Officer from January of 1986, Chief Operating Officer from May of 1983 to 1986 and was Vice President of Engineering from the founding year of the Company in June of 1981 to 1983. Mr. Marion held various Research and Development managerial positions during his employment with the Hewlett-Packard Corporation from 1972 to 1981. As a native of France, he holds an engineering degree from the French Ecole Nationale Superieures d’Ingenieurs Arts et Metiers in both mechanical and electronic engineering. He is the holder of several U.S. patents related to printing, data processing and storage. Mr. Marion currently serves as director of several private corporations.

Muneesh Tewari, M.D., Ph.D.

“Dr. Tewari’s experience studying microRNAs in cancer will provide valuable clinical insight as we move forward with our genomic analysis products,” said Shivji.

“I look forward to working with WaferGen in the advancement of genomic analysis to address the challenging molecular analysis needs encountered in today’s clinical environment,” said Dr. Tewari. “The new SmartChip platform can assist researchers in the analysis of critical molecular signatures by providing enhanced capabilities for biomarker discovery and validation. This knowledge is important for making more educated decisions regarding drug candidates and patients in the pre-clinical and clinical drug development process. The end result should be more targeted medicines to treat targeted patient populations.”

Muneesh Tewari, M.D., Ph.D., is a faculty member at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center where he has focused on studying the role of microRNAs in cancer, as well as on developing microRNA-based biomarker approaches for oncology. Dr. Tewari earned both an M.D. and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. Following his internship and residency at the University of Michigan Medical Center, he went on to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, where he completed a clinical fellowship in Medical Oncology and a research fellowship in functional genomics and systems biology. He continued his research as a faculty member at Harvard Medical School, and also served in clinical capacities at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (all affiliates of Harvard Medical School). Since 2005 he has led a laboratory at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, where his group pursues basic and translational studies of microRNAs in cancer.

About WaferGen

WaferGen Biosystems, Inc. is a leader in the development, manufacture and sale of state-of-the-art systems for genetic analysis for the life science and pharmaceutical industries. The company currently offers its innovative fee-based service for gene-expression profiling, while continuing the early commercialization of its SmartChip Real-Time PCR System that is designed as the first whole genome, high-throughput gene expression real-time PCR platform for the gene expression and genotyping markets. Combined with next-generation chemistry and optimized assays being developed by WaferGen under the guidance of David Gelfand, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer and one of the pioneers of PCR, this innovative system promises to deliver significant speed and cost advantages to researchers in the gene expression and genotyping markets.

Based on collaborations established with leading research institutions, WaferGen believes that the SmartChip Real-Time PCR System is positioned as the platform of choice for biomarker discovery and validation. The system will provide a number of key ease-of-use features including content-ready chips with gene panels optimized for microRNA, cancer, and whole genome. WaferGen believes the SmartChip Real-Time PCR System will be the first platform to combine the high-throughput capability and cost efficiencies of existing microarrays, with the sensitivity and accuracy of real-time PCR. Additional information is available on the company’s Website at http://www.wafergen.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain “forward-looking statements”. Such statements include statements relating to the expected benefits and advantages of the SmartChip service for gene-expression research, the expected benefits and advantages of the SmartChip technology to other applications, the expected throughput levels of the SmartChip Real-Time PCR System and other statements relating to future events and are not historical facts, including statements which may be preceded by the words “intends,” “may,” “will,” “plans,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “predicts,” “estimates,” “aims,” “believes,” “hopes,” “potential” or similar words.

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, are based on certain assumptions and are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the company. Actual results may differ materially from the expectations contained in the forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such differences include the risks that: (i) the company may be unsuccessful in commercially developing its products or in achieving market acceptance of new and relatively unproven technologies; (ii) the company will need to raise additional capital to meet its business requirements in the future and the company may not be able to do so on reasonable terms or at all; (iii) the company’s proprietary intellectual property rights may not adequately protect its products and technologies; and (iv) the company expects intense competition in its target markets, including from companies that have much greater resources than the company, and there can be no assurance that the company will be able to compete effectively. More detailed information about the company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the year ended December 31, 2009 and the Form 10Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2010. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. The company does not undertake to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE WaferGen Biosystems, Inc.