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PRINCETON, N.J. and ABINGDON, U.K., July 8, 2004 – Orchid Cellmark,
Inc. (Nasdaq: ORCH) today announced that its animal genetic testing facility
in the U.K. has completed DNA testing of its one millionth sheep for scrapie
susceptibility. Since 2001, Orchid has been a major supplier of genotyping
services offered to U.K. sheep farmers under the government’s National
Scrapie Plan (NSP), which is designed to help farmers breed sheep with
reduced susceptibility to this mad cow-like prion disease. Orchid is also
the exclusive genotyping supplier to the Northern Ireland Scrapie Plan
and provides a commercial testing service directly to farmers in the U.K.
Orchid recently announced that the U.K. government has renewed Orchid’s
scrapie genotyping contract for an additional two years.
"Genotyping more than a million sheep in just three years to help
eradicate this destructive disease was made possible by combining our
proprietary SNP genotyping assay and DNA testing expertise to rapidly
produce cost-effective, high quality, and high-volume genetic analyses,"
said David Hartshorne, commercial director of Orchid Europe. "As
pioneers in scrapie genotyping, we are proud to have reached this milestone
and to have developed what we believe is the largest and most accurate
genotyping operation of its kind in the world."
Delivering its service in Europe under the Cellmark brand, Orchid has
designed and implemented a highly automated laboratory process with state-of-the-art
robotics and integrated computer tracking and genotyping scoring systems.
At the heart of its service is Orchid’s proprietary SNP genotyping
assay which has proved to be highly accurate and reliable. Orchid has
designed its laboratory processes to be modular, so they can easily be
scaled to provide additional capacity as needed to accommodate anticipated
growing demand in Europe in response to EU legislation that requires all
sheep flock owners to begin breeding out the most scrapie-susceptible
sheep beginning in April, 2005.
Scrapie, one of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, is a fatal
disease that affects sheep worldwide. Scrapie has the potential to cause
significant economic losses to farmers through the destruction of infected
animals and by affecting confidence in the safety of the food supply.
Scientists have discovered a number of genetic variations that affect
an individual sheep’s susceptibility to scrapie. By selecting those
sheep with a high genetic resistance as breeding stock, over time farmers
expect to produce flocks with greatly reduced vulnerability to the condition.
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 Cellmarks Europe
can be found at www.orchideurope.com.
About
Orchid Cellmark, Inc.
Orchid Cellmark is a leading provider of identity genomics
services for the forensic and paternity DNA testing markets and
for public health and animal 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 Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding:
the anticipated growth in demand for Orchid’s services and
the expected results of breeding programs. Such statements are
subject to the 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 and Orchid’s
ability to obtain additional financing. 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, 2003, 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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