DNA Genotek's Oragene(R) DNA Product Selected by The Anthony Nolan Trust for Pilot Project

OTTAWA, May 5 /PRNewswire/ - DNA Genotek, a leading provider of products for biological sample collection, stabilization and preparation, today announced that The Anthony Nolan Trust, the UK's largest bone marrow donor registry, has selected Oragene DNA for a pilot project aimed at increasing donor recruitment. Bone marrow donor registries, also known as HLA registries, use HLA DNA testing to match leukemia patients with prospective donors. The pilot project will determine if donor recruitment can be increased significantly with the use of non-invasive, saliva-based DNA collection compared to blood collection.

The Anthony Nolan Trust has traditionally required all registry participants to have a blood sample collected either at their doctor's office or by phlebotomists at recruitment clinics. Under this pilot project, the potential donor provides a saliva sample without any assistance (for example, at home) and mails the sample back through the regular postal system, thereby facilitating and dramatically reducing the cost of the entire process. DNA samples collected with Oragene DNA are easier, safer, and faster to collect than other methods and remain stable at ambient temperature for transport and storage prior to being analyzed at the lab.

There are currently over 400,000 people included in The Anthony Nolan Trust's registry, but many more participants are needed. 70% of patients needing a transplant cannot find a compatible match from within their families and rely on registries to find an unrelated donor for life-saving procedures. Through using Oragene DNA, The Anthony Nolan Trust expects an increase in donor recruitment and therefore the likelihood of matches between those patients needing bone marrow transplants and potential donors held in their database.

Ailsa Ogilvie, director of operations at The Anthony Nolan Trust stated: "We have historically recruited new people to our register using blood samples, but our early laboratory results confirm that Oragene DNA provides the high quality DNA that we need. We are optimistic that this pilot project will simplify the recruitment process and ultimately increase the number of people willing to join our register. Following the successful completion of this pilot phase, we hope to switch completely to using saliva samples to recruit new donors to our register via Oragene DNA from late 2010."

"By streamlining the sample collection and transportation procedures, Oragene DNA enables The Anthony Nolan Trust to focus on its primary goal of increasing donor recruitment", said Ian Curry, president and CEO, DNA Genotek, Inc. "Oragene DNA provides a reliable, cost-effective, and scalable method that is ideal for bone marrow donor registries worldwide. Our product is easy to use, safe to transport through the mail and remains stable at ambient temperature for long periods of time. What we learn from this pilot project will help chart the future for The Anthony Nolan Trust and we are certainly proud to be part of this effort."

For more information on Oragene DNA, please visit www.dnagenotek.com or email us at [email protected]. For more information on The Anthony Nolan Trust, visit http://www.anthonynolan.org.uk/

Note to Editors: The pilot project referenced in this press release is currently available in limited areas in the United Kingdom. It is not expected to be available nationally until the summer of 2010.

About DNA Genotek:

DNA Genotek focuses on providing high-quality biological sample collection products. The company's Oragene family of products present the best way to collect and preserve large amounts of DNA from saliva. The company also offers a family of products for collecting DNA from animals and livestock. The reliability and ease-of-use of the company's products have resulted in rapid adoption at top-tier health research institutions globally, including Harvard, Stanford, Cambridge, and Johns Hopkins. DNA Genotek markets its products worldwide and has established a global customer base in over 85 countries. For more information about DNA Genotek, visit www.dnagenotek.com

About the Anthony Nolan Trust

The Anthony Nolan Trust takes back lives from leukaemia by managing and recruiting new donors to the UK's most successful bone marrow register. The Anthony Nolan Trust also undertakes vital research leading to improvements in the effectiveness and safety of bone marrow transplants.

(R) Oragene is a registered trademark of DNA Genotek, Inc.(TM)

SOURCE DNA Genotek Inc.