Life Technologies Announces an Automated Sample Preparation System for its Ion PGM™ Sequencer

CARLSBAD, Calif., April 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE) today announced the Ion OneTouch System, an automated sample preparation system for the Ion Personal Genome Machine (PGM) sequencer that eliminates complexity, reduces hands-on time to five minutes and offers walk-away convenience. Ion Torrent is accepting orders next week with an introductory price of under $5,000; the first shipments will be in late June and the Ion OneTouch System will be broadly available in the third quarter.

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In December 2010, Ion PGM was launched, the world's first semiconductor sequencer and transformed sequencing by offering unprecedented simplicity, speed, scalability and affordability. Today, with the announcement of the Ion OneTouch System, Ion Torrent is pioneering the same kind of innovative change in template preparation.

"The Ion OneTouch System makes sample preparation simple, fast and affordable," said Ion Torrent Founder and President Jonathan Rothberg. "You just load your library and amplification master mix onto the Ion OneTouch and within three hours you're ready to sequence. This is a democratizing technology that brings DNA sequencing easily within the reach of any lab."

The Ion OneTouch System is three times faster than standard methods -- with only five minutes of hands-on time. The system combines sample loading, clonal amplification and sample recovery into a single, automated, hands-off process. The Ion OneTouch System is scalable and supports the Ion 314, 316 and 318 chips, delivering 10 Mb to 1 Gb of sequence. The running costs will be comparable to current Ion template preparation kits.

Ion Torrent semiconductor sequencing technology directly translates chemically encoded information (A, C, G, T) into digital information (0, 1) on a semiconductor chip. The technology  leverages decades of semiconductor technology advances, and in just a few years has brought the entire design, fabrication and supply chain infrastructure of that industry—a trillion dollar investment—to bear on the challenge of sequencing. The result is the first commercial sequencing technology that does not use light, and as a result delivers unprecedented speed, scalability and low cost.  

About Life Technologies Sequencing

Life Technologies is the world's leading provider of sequencing technologies, offering the industry's gold standard capillary electrophoresis technology with the Applied Biosystems™ 3500 Series Genetic Analyzers, next-generation sequencing technology with the Applied Biosystems™ 5500 Series SOLiD™ Sequencers, and semiconductor-based sequencing technology with the recently launched Ion Personal Genome Machine (PGM™) sequencer. The Ion Personal Genome Machine (PGM™) and OneTouch(™ System,  and Applied Biosystems 3500 Series Genetic Analyzers and 5500 series SOLiD sequencers, are for research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

About Life Technologies

Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE) is a global biotechnology company dedicated to improving the human condition.  Our systems, consumables and services enable researchers to accelerate scientific and medical advancements that make life even better.  Life Technologies customers do their work across the biological spectrum, working to advance the fields of discovery and translational research, molecular medicine, stem cell-based therapies, food safety and animal health, and 21st century forensics.  The company manufactures both molecular diagnostic and research use only products.  Life Technologies' industry-leading brands are found in nearly every life sciences lab in the world and include innovative instrument systems under the Applied Biosystems and Ion Torrent names, as well as, the broadest range of reagents with its Invitrogen, Gibco, Ambion, Molecular Probes and Taqman products.  Life Technologies had sales of $3.6 billion in 2010, has a workforce of approximately 11,000 people, has a presence in approximately 160 countries, and possesses one of the largest intellectual property estates in the life sciences industry, with approximately 3,900 patents and exclusive licenses.  For more information on how we are making a difference, please visit our website: http://www.lifetechnologies.com.  Follow Life Technologies on Twitter @LIFECorporation and on Facebook.

Life Technologies' Safe Harbor Statement

This press release includes forward-looking statements about Life Technologies' anticipated results that involve risks and uncertainties. Some of the information contained in this press release, including, but not limited to, statements as to industry trends and Life Technologies' plans, objectives, expectations and strategy for its business, contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. When used, the words "believe," "plan," "intend," "anticipate," "target," "estimate," "expect" and the like, and/or future tense or conditional constructions ("will," "may," "could," "should," etc.), or similar expressions, identify certain of these forward-looking statements. Important factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are detailed in filings made by Life Technologies with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Life Technologies undertakes no obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

CONTACT:
Wes Conard
650-243-6019
[email protected]

SOURCE Life Technologies Corporation

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