Sorenson Genomics Hosts Thai Justice Dept. Leaders on Trip to Meet with Collaborators on Tsunami Victim Identification Effort.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Delegation Will Also Explore Best Practices Related to Missing Persons, DNA Registries and Protocols

Sorenson Genomics announced today that the company is hosting a delegation of dignitaries from Thailand on a special trip to Utah today through June 3, 2005. The delegation includes the co-directors of the Thailand Central Institute of Forensic Science (CIFS), Dr. Khunying Porntip Rojanasunan and pol. maj. gen Chumsak Pruksapong, as well as Khun Manit Suthaporn, Thai deputy permanent secretary of justice.

The Utah trip will provide the Thai delegation the opportunity to meet in person with individuals and organizations collaborating with the government of Thailand in an ongoing effort to use DNA analysis to identify victims of the tsunami that struck the coast of Thailand and 11 other countries on December 26, 2004. These organizations include Salt Lake City-based Sorenson Genomics, Park City-based Pacific Rim Consulting, and Don Pedersen M.D., director of the University of Utah's Physician Assistant program.

Sorenson Genomics, the only U.S. genomic laboratory to participate in the identification of tsunami victims in Thailand, has been tasked with analyzing the victims most difficult to identify. Thus far, the team has analyzed specimens from approximately 800 tsunami victims and more than 500 living relatives. "We are uniquely qualified to perform this type of DNA analysis for verifying relationships," said Doug Fogg, the company's chief operating officer.

Sorenson Genomics performs DNA testing for numerous client organizations throughout the world. It is currently one of only four laboratories in the world accredited for DNA testing by the Forensic Quality Service (FQS-I) and the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB), and is the only laboratory certified to do DNA testing for genealogical purposes.

It is estimated that Sorenson Genomics and its founder, James LeVoy Sorenson, will donate up to $1.5 million to the identification effort. Pacific Rim Consulting and its president, Dave Rockwood, along with Dr. Pedersen from the University of Utah have also volunteered significant time and resources to the project. Currently, Rockwood makes monthly visits to Thailand, his second home, to assist tsunami refugee families in the transition in rebuilding their lives and their livelihoods. "The emergency component of tsunami relief is mainly behind us," said Rockwood. "The second wave of this disaster is economic; it wiped out a lot of jobs and businesses." Rockwood has created a Web site, www.thaitsunamihelp.org, to raise awareness and support for Thai tsunami refugee families.

"It has been a privilege to work with Dr. Porntip and the victim identification team to help identify tsunami victims and return them to surviving family members," said Lars Mouritsen, chief scientific officer at Sorenson Genomics. "We're also grateful for the selfless and tireless efforts of people like Dave Rockwood and Don Pedersen, which made this project possible."

In addition to the visits with Sorenson Genomics, Pacific Rim Consulting, and the University of Utah, the members of the Thai delegation will meet with other prominent Utah business and education leaders. They will also spend time with local, state, and federal government leaders to explore best practices related to missing persons and DNA registries and protocols.

About Sorenson Genomics

Sorenson Genomics (www.sorensongenomics.com) is a state-of-the-art genomic laboratory certified to ISO 17025 and accredited by the AABB (American Association of Blood Banks) to provide direct-to-consumer DNA testing services for verifying human identity and relatedness, as well as to provide high-throughput DNA purification, genotyping, and sequencing services for medium to large scale projects for a variety of industries, such as biotechnology, genealogy, and pharmacology.