NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Roche said this week that it will invest CHF 240 million ($258.4 million) in a new diagnostics center at its Penzberg, Germany biotech center near Munich. The Diagnostics Operations Complex II is scheduled to be operational in December 2014 and will create 50 new jobs. Roche said the expansion is in response to "sustained global demand for the reagents used in immunoassay testing."
Danaher officials said at the firm's investor day this week that the Beckman Coulter DxN molecular diagnostics system is expected to launch by the end of next year with a US filing for clearance in 2014. The DxN has been in the works for several years, and Beckman Coulter had planned on launching the platform in 2010.
BG Medicine has obtained the CE Mark for its CardioScore test, which combines protein-based assays with an algorithmic analysis to provide risk prediction of major cardiovascular events. The firm said it plans to launch the test in Europe in the first half of 2013 in collaboration with specialty lab partners.
Accelr8 Technology will move its stock from the New York Stock Exchange to the Nasdaq Capital Market. It said that it expects its shares to begin trading on the Nasdaq on Dec. 26 under the ticker symbol AXDX.
Warnex said that it has completed the sale of its Bioanalytical Services division to Biotrial Research.
"With the completion of this transaction, the board will explore possible strategic alternatives for Warnex's remaining assets, which consist primarily of cash and receivables, for the benefit of all our shareholders," Michael Singer, chairman of the board of directors of Warnex, said in a statement. "We expect to quickly identify opportunities, if any, which may range from a possible wind-up of Warnex and cash distribution to shareholders to a variety of possible mergers and acquisitions alternatives."
Waters said this week that Indiana University's Laboratory of Biological Mass Spectrometry and Professor David Clemmer have joined its Centers of Innovation Program. Clemmer was honored by Waters for his work in ion mobility mass spectrometry.
GenScript has joined the AMDeC Vendor Partnership Program. The firm will offer its DNA sequencing services to consortium members at a discounted price.
Gene By Gene has launched its DNA DTC division, which will provide genomic testing services to institutional customers and the direct-to-consumer market. The Houston-based firm said that the new division will make its Genomics Research Center, a CLIA lab, available to investigators. It added that DNA DTC is offering exome sequencing (80x) using the Illumina HiSeq platform at an introductory price of $695.
In Brief This Week is a Friday column containing news items that our readers may have missed during the week.