bioMérieux NucliSENS® easyMAG™ Receives Technology Innovation of the Year Award from Frost & Sullivan

bioMérieux NucliSENS® easyMAG™ Receives Technology Innovation of the Year Award from Frost & Sullivan

Durham, NC, USA - April 25, 2006. 2006 Technology Innovation Award of the Year in the field of In Vitro Diagnostics. bioMérieux has been the proud recipient of 2006 Technology Innovation of the Year award in the field of in vitro diagnostics. After extensive evaluation, Frost & Sullivan, an industry-leading global growth consulting company, chose bioMérieux for their development of the NucliSENS easyMAG system. The NucliSENS easyMAG is a breakthrough platform based on the company’s proprietary technologies and features premium nucleic acid extraction quality and enhanced productivity through highly accessible instrumentation.
 

“We are proud to be recognized for leading innovations in the field of molecular biology” said Eric Bouvier, bioMérieux’s North American president and CEO. “We are committed to continuing the development of industry-leading products.”

The NucliSENS easyMAG platform represents next-generation technology for molecular diagnostic applications. The NucliSENS easyMAG uses magnetic particles in combination with bioMerieux’s BOOM® technology for universal isolation of total nucleic acid (DNA and RNA). The platform can efficiently isolate nucleic acid from a wide range of sample volumes and types including plasma, serum, whole blood, stool and respiratory samples. The result is pure, high-quality nucleic acid compatible with various downstream molecular diagnostic techniques.

“Molecular biology has thrown up a plethora of opportunities for the diagnostics industry, varying from the provision of faster results for the detection of life-threatening diseases in emergency situations, to better identification of harmful bacteria or viruses that may go undetected by traditional methods,” said Sachim Thukral, research analyst.

The NucliSENS easyMAG is characterized by a superior integration of instrument, reagents, disposables and software design that results in minimal waste of disposables and extraction buffers, as well as optimized workflow and ease of training. The platform addresses today’s key needs in nucleic acid sample preparation, in full compliance with relevant IVD/FDA regulations. This includes the flexibility for parallel processing of a variety of sample volumes/types and the ability to select different elution volumes within the same run. Also, a robust instrument design along with state-of-the-art software, yields an overall more effective and efficient nucleic acid extraction process.

The success of the NucliSENS Magnetic Extraction Reagents has already been demonstrated using bioMerieux’s manual system, the NucliSENS® miniMAG™. Now molecular diagnostic laboratories will enjoy the benefits of this superior nucleic acid extraction chemistry on a state-of-the-art automated system.

bioMérieux’s NucliSENS easyMAG encompasses elements of superior innovation with enhanced design, increased productivity and high quality performance, which is what makes it the recipient of the 2006 Frost & Sullivan Innovation of the Year award.

About the Award

To choose the recipient of this award, the Frost & Sullivan analyst team tracks all new product launches, R&D spending, products in development, and new product features and modifications. This is accomplished through interviews with all the market participants, and extensive secondary and technology research. All new product launches and new products in development are compared and evaluated based on degree of innovation and customer satisfaction. Companies are then ranked based on the market influence of their innovation.

In addition to the methodology described above, there are specific criteria used to determine final competitor rankings in this industry. The recipient of this Award has excelled based on one or more of the following criteria:

• Significance of new product in their industry
• Competitive advantage of new product(s) in their industry
• Product innovation in terms of unique or revolutionary technology
• Product acceptance in the marketplace
• Value provided to customers
• Number of competitors with similar product(s).

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, a global growth consulting company founded in 1961, partners with clients to create value through innovative growth strategies. The foundation of this partnership approach is our Growth Partnership Services platform, whereby we provide industry research, marketing strategies, consulting and training to our clients to help grow their business. A key benefit that Frost & Sullivan brings to its clients is a global perspective on a broad range of industries, markets, technologies, econometrics, and demographics. With a client list that includes Global 1000 companies, emerging companies, as well as the investment community, Frost & Sullivan has evolved into one of the premier growth consulting companies in the world. For more information, visit www.frost.com.