Beckman Coulter acquires genetic analysis technology.

Fullerton, CA 9/10/03 -- Beckman Coulter has acquired the proprietary technologies of Peoples Genetics for an undisclosed amount. Peoples Genetics' technologies are made up of procedures for sample preparation and constant denaturant capillary electrophoresis that can be applied to large pools of DNA (up to 100,000 samples) for identification and validation of low-frequency mutations. Beckman Coulter plans to integrate this technology into its current genetic analysis platform, starting with the company's CEQ 8000 genetic analysis system. "This combined solution can remove a critical discovery bottleneck currently experienced in disease association research and give Beckman Coulter the opportunity to gain market share in downstream molecular diagnostic and pharmacogenomic testing," said George Bers, the company's vice president of Systems Biology. In addition, two members of Peoples Genetics' staff will work with Beckman Coulter as consultants.

This is an interesting addition to Beckman Coulter's DNA sequencing capabilities. Peoples Genetics gives Beckman Coulter proprietary procedures, which significantly enhance its instrument systems. The acquisition certainly strengthens its overall position and renews its commitment to the genetic analysis market. With People Genetics' CDCE technology, population geneticists will be able to economically gain the power needed for a comprehensive statistical analysis.