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PRINCETON, N.J. and ABINGDON, OXON., U.K., Oct 26, 2004 – Orchid Cellmark, Inc. (Nasdaq: ORCH) today announced that its European Cellmark
business has been selected by the Thames Valley Police as its exclusive
provider of forensic DNA testing services. The three-year multi-million
dollar contract, extendable for an additional two years, was awarded through
Orchid’s strategic partner Forensic Alliance. Orchid
Cellmark has supplied part of Thames Valley Police’s forensic DNA
testing needs since 1998, and this contract now appoints Orchid Cellmark
as the sole supplier of these services. Thames Valley Police is
one of the U.K.’s largest police forces and the largest non-metropolitan
police force in the country. Further details of this new agreement
were not disclosed.
“Orchid Cellmark is delighted to have been selected as the sole
provider of forensic DNA testing for the Thames Valley Police, one of
the five largest police forces in the U.K.,” said Graham Vitty,
managing director of Orchid’s European business. “We
believe their decision to make Orchid Cellmark their exclusive DNA testing
provider is a reflection of our proven ability to deliver on our commitment
to service excellence and complete customer satisfaction.”
U.K. Government funding for forensic DNA analysis has increased significantly
in recent years through its DNA Expansion Plan. Earlier this year,
the U.K. Parliament passed legislation that gives police forces the authority
to take DNA samples, using a mouth swab, from all arrestees for inclusion
in the country’s National DNA Database®. The U.K. National DNA
Database now has more than 2.5 million entries, which is enabling a crime-solving
“hit rate” of nearly 50 percent. This means that almost one
out of every two DNA profiles generated from crime scene evidence matches
up with the profile of an individual already in the database, enabling
the police to identify the suspect from the database population. This
high “hit rate” is making the DNA Database a powerful intelligence
tool for the investigation of a wide range of offenses.
“We take tremendous pride in delivering rapid, quality forensic
DNA analyses, as well as in the way we work together with our police customers
to ensure that the full benefits of DNA analysis are brought to the solving
of crimes,” said David Hartshorne, commercial director of Orchid’s
European unit. “The recent expansion of our Abingdon facility is
enabling us to meet the increasing demand for our database and crime scene
analysis services while continuing to deliver excellent levels of customer
satisfaction.”
Orchid Cellmark is the largest independent supplier of scene-of-crime
DNA analysis to U.K. police forces, providing a full range of forensic
DNA services from the routine testing of DNA samples for submission to
the National DNA Database to the analysis of evidence for the most serious
crimes.
Working with Forensic Alliance, Orchid Cellmark is increasing its forensic
DNA business by focusing on quality while driving down processing time.
To accommodate the rapid growth in all of its DNA testing services, Orchid
Cellmark has recently expanded its U.K. headquarters facility in Abingdon
to provide additional testing capacity for scene-of-crime and DNA database
samples in the latest generation of clean room laboratories.
More information on Thames Valley Police can be found at www.thamesvalley.police.uk
About Orchid Cellmark Europe
Orchid established its European headquarters in 2001 through the acquisition
of U.K.-based Cellmark Diagnostics, one of the world's first commercial
DNA testing laboratories. Under the Cellmark brand, it is one of the largest
providers of paternity and relationship testing services in Europe, and
a leading supplier of forensic DNA profiling for criminal investigation,
a rapidly growing area in which the U.K. is a world leader. It is also
the major supplier of genotyping services to the U.K. Government's National
Scrapie Plan, delivering high throughput DNA testing services to help
British farmers breed sheep with reduced susceptibility to this prion
disease. More information about the range of DNA testing services and
products available from Orchid Cellmark Europe can be found at
www.orchideurope.com.
About Orchid Cellmark, Inc.
Orchid Cellmark is a leading provider of identity genetics services
for the forensic and paternity DNA testing markets and for public health
DNA testing for food safety. Orchid’s strong market positions in
these segments leverage the company’s accredited laboratories in
the U.S. and U.K., its innovative genetic analysis technologies and expertise,
and the world-renowned Cellmark and GeneScreen brands that have been associated
with exceptional quality, reliability, innovation and customer service
for nearly two decades. More information on Orchid can be found at www.orchid.com.
All statements in this press release
that are not historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning
of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act as amended, including statements
regarding the fact that immigration related genetic testing is a rapidly
growing global market. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties
that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected,
including, but not limited to, uncertainties relating to technologies,
product development, manufacturing, market acceptance, cost and pricing
of Orchid products and services, dependence on collaborations and partners,
regulatory approvals, competition, intellectual property of others, patent
protection, litigation, Orchid’s ability to obtain additional financing
and Orchid’s listing on the Nasdaq National Market. These risks and
other additional factors affecting Orchid’s business are discussed
under the headings "Risks Related to Our Business," "Risks
Related to the Biotechnology Industry" and "Risks Associated
with Our Common Stock" in Orchid’s Annual Report on Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2002, and Orchid’s Registration Statement
on Form S-3 and the prospectus contained therein dated June 6, 2003, each
as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and in other filings
made by Orchid with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to
time. Orchid expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release
publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained
herein to reflect any change in Orchid’s expectations with regard
thereto or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which
any such statements are based, except as may be required by law.
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