Roche purchases innovative nucleic acid purification technology from Lumora to enhance sample preparation for sequencing

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Aug 24, 2015, 12:00 ET

PLEASANTON, Calif., Aug. 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) has signed a definitive asset purchase agreement with Lumora for products associated with the unique, patent-protected Heat Elution¹ technology for nucleic acid purification of multiple sample types including challenging formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumor samples. Roche plans to explore integrating this technology into its sequencing workflow solution.

Today, nucleic acid purification technology from specimens including formalin-fixed tissues can be cumbersome and inefficient. Lumora's highly differentiated proprietary methodology will enable simple and automated nucleic acid isolation in minutes instead of hours. In addition, the technology is environmentally friendly and can be applied to process a wide variety of sample types including whole blood, fecal matter, sputum, FFPE tissue and buccal swabs.

"Lumora's Heat Elution technology can be integrated to an automated sequencing workflow, which makes it an ideal fit for Roche's sequencing vision of a sample-in–results-out workflow," said Dan Zabrowski, Head of Roche Tissue Diagnostics and Roche Sequencing Unit.

"An important bottleneck in sequencing workflow is nucleic acid extraction. Heat Elution technology significantly simplifies extraction and is simple to automate. The acquisition of this technology may offer Roche a unique position in fully integrated sequencing devices," said Laurence Tisi, CEO, Lumora.

¹For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

About Lumora

Lumora is a successful provider of state-of-the-art molecular diagnostic products in the clinical, non-clinical and industrial markets. Lumora's easy to deploy and use technology can be employed in fields as diverse as food safety testing and medical diagnostics. The Company is active in commercialising its technology and its development and commercialisation partners include international biotechnology, clinical diagnostic and industrial microbiology companies.

Lumora's corporate office is based just outside of Cambridge, England. www.lumora.co.uk

About Roche

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is a leader in research-focused healthcare with combined strengths in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Roche is the world's largest biotech company, with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and neuroscience. Roche is also the world leader in in vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics, and a frontrunner in diabetes management. Roche's personalised healthcare strategy aims at providing medicines and diagnostics that enable tangible improvements in the health, quality of life and survival of patients. Founded in 1896, Roche has been making important contributions to global health for more than a century. Twenty-nine medicines developed by Roche are included in the World Health Organization Model Lists of Essential Medicines, among them life-saving antibiotics, antimalarials and chemotherapy.

In 2014, the Roche Group employed 88,500 people worldwide, invested 8.9 billion Swiss francs in R&D and posted sales of 47.5 billion Swiss francs. Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information, please visit www.roche.com. All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law.

For further information please contact:

Roche Sequencing Media Relations
Jacquie Bucher
Phone: +1 520.468.9145
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Roche