FREMONT, Calif., Dec. 10, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WaferGen Bio-systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:WGBS) today announced the first commercial sale of WaferGen's ICELL8™ Single-Cell System to a major global pharmaceutical company. The system will enable greater single-cell throughput, and provide key insights to be used in important cancer-related research initiatives.
"The first commercial sale of our ICELL8 Single-Cell System is a significant milestone for WaferGen," said Rolland Carlson, President and Chief Executive Officer of WaferGen. "Based on the extensive results generated from our early access partners and in-house WaferGen research and development initiatives that have demonstrated the system's performance and utility, we think the ICELL8 has significant commercial potential. The ability to select specific cells based on cell imaging, combined with user friendly and cost-efficient processing methods, makes the ICELL8 very attractive to our targeted corporate and academic customers."
The ICELL8 Single-Cell System is a revolutionary platform which can isolate thousands of single cells and process specific cells of interest for downstream analysis using Next Generation Sequencing. The system also includes an imaging station and CellSelect™ software for imaging each nanowell and automatic selection of single cells for downstream processing. Recently, WaferGen presented proof of concept results at the Single Cell Analyses Conference at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory demonstrating the flexibility of the ICELL8 System to isolate and specifically detect cells stained with fluorescently-labeled antibodies specific for Her2p. ICELL8's throughput and ability to choose specific cells is enabling a wide range of applications, including stem cell, neuroscience, immunology, and cancer research.
About WaferGen
WaferGen Bio-systems, Inc. is a biotechnology company that offers innovative genomic technology solutions for single cell analysis and clinical research. The ICELL8™ Single Cell System is a cutting edge platform which can isolate thousands of single cells and processes specific cells for analysis, including Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). The system has demonstrated unbiased isolation of up to 1,800 single cells ranging from 5-100 µm in size on a single chip, including single cells from solid tumors, brain cells, pulmonary airway cells, and multiple cell lines. The SmartChip™ platform can be used for profiling and validating molecular biomarkers, and can perform massively parallel singleplex PCR for one-step target enrichment and library preparation for clinical NGS. The Apollo 324™ system can be used to process DNA and RNA from clinical samples to NGS-ready libraries. These technologies offer a powerful set of tools for biological analysis at the molecular and single cell level in the life sciences, pharmaceutical, and clinical laboratory industries.
For additional information, please see http://www.wafergen.com
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended that are intended to be covered by the "safe harbor" created by those sections. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as "believe," "expect," "may," "will," "should," "could," "seek," "intend," "plan," "estimate," "anticipate" or other comparable terms. Forward-looking statements in this press release may address the following subjects among others: statements regarding the sufficiency of our capital resources, expected operating losses, expected revenues, expected expenses, expected cash usage, our expectations regarding our development of future products including single cell analysis technologies and our expectations concerning our competitive position and business strategy. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, as a result of various factors including those risks and uncertainties described in the Risk Factors and in Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations sections of our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. We urge you to consider those risks and uncertainties in evaluating our forward-looking statements. We caution readers not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Except as otherwise required by the federal securities laws, we disclaim any obligation or undertaking to publicly release any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained herein (or elsewhere) to reflect any change in our expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.