NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Investment Bank Leerink Swann this week upgraded its rating on Bio-Rad Laboratories' stock from "market perform" to "outperform," citing a favorable trend for the firm's diagnostics business over the immediate term. The bank also placed a 12-month valuation range of between $107 and $114 on the stock. Bio-Rad closed Wednesday, the day the note was issued, at $98.75.
Cellzome said this week that it has achieved the first milestone in its epigenetics alliance with GlaxoSmithKline. The firms have been using Cellzome's Episphere technology to identify small-molecule drug targets from four different epigenetic target classes. The firm said that the milestone will trigger a payment from GlaxoSmithKline, but it did not disclose the amount.
Ambry Genetics said on Thursday that it has launched next-generation sequencing services using Illumina's HiSeq 2000 platform. It noted that it has been an early adapter of Illumina sequencing systems since 2007 and also serves as a certified service provider for Illumina platforms.
Horizon Discovery has licensed worldwide exclusive rights to a panel of new human isogenic cell models developed by Zhenghe Wang, an assistant professor of genetics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. The cell lines were developed using the firm's rAAV Genesis gene-editing platform and will be added to Horizon’s library of more than 300 X-MAN cell models. The license initially runs for 10 years and includes up-front fees and an ongoing royalty on product sales.
The Genome Center at Washington University has bought and installed 10 additional Eppendorf epMotion 5075 TMX PC automated pipetting systems for next-generation sequencing sample preparation on the Illumina GA IIx and HiSeq platforms.