Date: 2012-09-19
Type of information: Company acquisition
Acquired company: Bluegnome (UK)
Acquiring company: Illumina (USA)
Amount: undisclosed
Terms: Illumina, the american developer, manufacturer, and marketer of life science tools and integrated systems for the analysis of genetic variation and function, has acquired BlueGnome. This U.K.-based company is a provider of solutions for the screening of genetic abnormalities associated with developmental delay, cancer, and infertility. BlueGnome is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Illumina.
The company’s founders, Nick Haan and Graham Snudden, will continue to lead BlueGnome which will report to Greg Heath, SVP and General Manager of Illumina’s Diagnostics business. In addition to its headquarters in Cambridge, England, BlueGnome has offices in Fairfax, Virginia and Singapore.
Details: In collaboration with some of the world’s leading in vitro fertilization (IVF) centers, BlueGnome has developed 24sure™, a preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) test for counting the chromosomes in a single human cell – a test that holds enormous promise for increasing IVF success rates. Clinical data has shown that PGS greatly improves IVF success, increasing pregnancy rates for women and reducing miscarriages.
BlueGnome’s offerings also include CytoChip, a powerful test for the investigation of genetic abnormalities mainly associated with developmental delay or with complex leukemias. CytoChip is used by more than 200 labs across 40 countries worldwide as a first-line cytogenetic test, replacing traditional G-band karyotyping.
Related: diagnostic
