News Release

BGI Health forms partnership with ACIBADEM hospital on genetic disease testing

Business Announcement

BGI Shenzhen

Shenzhen, China, April 16, 2013 - BGI Health and ACIBADEM Healthcare Group Genetic Diagnostic Center in cooperation with Genoks Company Molecular Biology, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for jointly introducing the advanced genetic testing technologies to Turkey and improving Turkish reproductive healthcare. This partnership will foster the applications of genetic testing technologies in the areas of Monogenic disorders, personalized medical healthcare, birth defects that cause terrible diseases, among others.

With the fast development of scientific technologies, there are a variety of testing tools that parents can use to look into their baby's future health, or to predict some of most serious hereditary diseases. Among them, genetic testing is the latest and most sophisticated of techniques used to detect gene variants associated with a specific disease or condition. In the clinical applications, genetic testing technologies can be performed to confirm a suspected diagnosis, to predict the possibility of future illness, to detect the presence of a carrier state in unaffected individuals (whose children may be at risk), and to predict response to therapy.

Considering the potential and importance of genetic testing, ACIBADEM Healthcare Group Genetic Diagnostic Center and BGI Health entered collaboration for further accelerating its clinical applications, and benefiting the reproductive health of Turkish population. This partnership will combine BGI Health's powerful genetic testing platform and genomic knowledge with Acibadem hospital's splendid clinical expertise and experience. The collaboration will involve Non-invasive Fetal Trisomy testing (NIFTY), Monogenic disorder genetic testing, Exome-seq based personalized medical healthcare, HLA genotyping, among others.

"Through the powerful combination of complementary advantages, the cooperation between BGI and ACIBADEM Healthcare Group Genetic Diagnostic Center will be conductive to advance the clinical applications of genetic testing technologies and develop better solutions to address the challenges of hereditary diseases." said Dr. Ning Li, Director of BGI Europe. "Supported by our international partners, I believe we are likely to change the current practice of medicine and public health by facilitating more accurate, sophisticated and cost-effective genetic testing in Turkey and other European countries. "

"ACIBADEM Healthcare Group Genetic Diagnostic Center provides state-of-the-art cytogenetic and molecular genetic analysis for local and international prestigious hospitals therewithal ACIBADEM Hospitals. We sincerely believe BGI Health will definitely accelerate and expand our capacity to respond the complex diagnostic challenges, multi-genic and multifactorial diseases and conducting clinical research.

I believe our business will continue to provide the same high quality products and service with the honored reputation of yours and this partnership would effect our studies in the effective and efficient manner of conducting business." said Prof. Dr. M. Cengiz YAKICIER Director of ACIBADEM Healthcare Group Genetic Diagnostic Center.

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About Acibadem Hospital

Acıbadem is the most valued private healthcare services provider in Turkey since 1991. We provide comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services by employing highest calibre health care professionals, state-of-the-art medical technology, robust infrastructure and JCI* accredited medicare standards. We operate 16 full-service general hospitals and 11 outpatient clinics. With a team of 2,200 physicians, 3,500 nurses and 6,500 support staff.

Acıbadem is actually an integrated healthcare services network offering services beyond hospitals: Acıbadem Project Managementdesigns, constructs and equips turn-key hospital projects in Turkey and abroad. Acıbadem Insurance provides health and life insurance and TPA** services. Acıbadem Mobile provides healthcare services on the road, at home, in office, at remote industrial sites as well as conventional emergency evacuation, ambulance and tele-medicine services.A-Plus provides facility management services such as catering, laundry and cleaning to hospitals of all sizes. Acıbadem Labs provides the largest spectrum of laboratory services including genetics, pathology, stem cell, and cord-blood banking. Finally, Acıbadem University is dedicated to carry the Group's medical sector expertise to the training and education of future generations of health care professionals, through its medical faculty and nursing and administrative schools.

Learn more information, please visit: http://www.acibademinternational.com/about-acibadem/

About BGI Health

BGI Health is a subsidiary sequencing application unit of BGI, one of the largest genomics organizations in the world with significant contributions to genetic research. The centre applies human genome research achievements to human health, with the aim to establish the 4P healthcare system: Predication, Prevention, Participatory and Personalized healthcare. It focuses on clinical application of genetic testing technologies in order to decrease birth defects and different human diseases.

BGI Health provides genetic testing of Chromosome diseases, Monogenic disorder, Hereditary hearing loss, Thalassemia, Neonatal hereditary metabolic disease, Leukemia, Cervical cancer and Hepatitis with the screening and diagnosis technology system throughout human life cycle.

Contact information:

Bicheng Yang,
Public Communication Officer
BGI
+86-755-82639701
yangbicheng@genomics.cn
http://www.genomics.cn


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