Roche acquires DNA sequencing firm for up to $350 million

[Wireless News]

http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/T6hiSkKEflEGf3iR75_mJw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9NzU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2014-06-02T083137Z_1_LYNXMPEA51085_RTROPTP_2_SWITZERLAND.J PG (http://news.yahoo.com/roche-acquires-dna-sequencing-firm-350-million-083137930--finance.html)Swiss drugmaker Roche said it was buying privately held U.S. gene-sequencing firm Genia Technologies for up to $350 million, securing access to a technology that should allow it to decipher human genes at a cheaper cost. Gene sequencing is vital to the development and use of new medicines by allowing researchers and physicians to better understand the human genome. "The acquisition of Genia is a further step for Roche to introduce a potentially disruptive technology to the market," Roland Diggelmann, chief operating Officer of Roche Diagnostics, said in the statement. While other sequencing platforms rely on expensive optical sensors, Genia uses cheap electronic semiconductors, the same as those used in cell phones and computers, to measure changes in electrical currents and identify DNA sequences.



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