FREMONT, Calif. and KUSASTSU,
Japan, June
6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- WaferGen Bio-systems, Inc.
(NASDAQ: WGBS), a publicly held genomics technology company
("WaferGen"), announced that it has entered into an exclusive
distribution agreement in Japan
with Takara Bio Inc. ("Takara", TSE: 4974), a leading Japanese and
global biotechnology and life science reagents company. The
agreement is for promotion and technical support of the ICELL8™
Single-Cell System, SmartChip™ Real-Time PCR, SmartChip™ Target
Enrichment and Apollo 324™ products. WaferGen and Takara
recently announced a merger agreement which is expected to close in
March of 2017.
"The Asia-Pacific genomic
analysis market is large and growing and WaferGen has been
experiencing rapid uptake of our clinical research product line in
the region," said Rollie Carlson,
President and CEO of WaferGen. "We are excited to have a
strong partnership with Takara which who has a leadership position
in genomic research and single cell analysis, and believe that our
combined solutions have the potential to rapidly accelerate
adoption our clinical research products and now the ICELL8
Single-Cell System in Japan."
The agreement includes the full Wafergen single-cell analysis
and clinical research product lines. The ICELL8 Single-Cell
System is a revolutionary system for single-cell analysis. It
offers the unique ability to isolate thousands of single cells,
automatically identify cells of interest, and prepare single-cells
for NGS analysis. The system enables groundbreaking research
in the areas of cancer, neuroscience, stem cell research and
immunology. The SmartChip Real-Time PCR and SmartChip Target
Enrichment systems are high throughput platforms used for clinical
research applications, such as fast and efficient identification of
variants associated with complex disease. The Apollo 324
system is a compact, highly flexible system for automated sample
preparation for NGS.
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
first of its kind system that can isolate thousands of single cells
and processes specific cells for analysis, including Next
Generation Sequencing. The system has demonstrated unbiased
isolation of 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 next generation sequencing 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.
About Takara Bio Inc.
Takara Bio Inc. operates as a biotechnology company in
Japan, the United States, Asia, Europe,
and internationally. It operates in three segments: Bio
Industry, Gene Therapy, and AgriBio. The company develops
research reagents and scientific instruments, such as restriction
enzymes, PCR reagents, antibodies, cell culture media and
gas-permeable bags, real-time PCR equipment, mass spectrometry
systems, etc. It also provides research and contract
manufacturing services comprising genome analysis, DNA chip
analysis, IPS cell contract production services, cell processing
and preparation, vector production, safety testing, technical
support services for cancer immunotherapy, etc. In addition,
the company engages in the development of various gene therapies
across a range of indications including oncology and immune
deficiencies all in various stages of clinical development.
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 anticipated closing of the
Takara Bio merger agreement, 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.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
WaferGen intends to file with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "SEC") a proxy statement, as well as other relevant
documents concerning the proposed merger agreement. The
definitive proxy statement will be sent or given to the
stockholders of WaferGen and will contain important information
about the merger agreement, its related transactions and other
related matters. This communication does not constitute an
offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities
or a solicitation of any vote or approval. INVESTORS AND
SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT (INCLUDING
ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) CAREFULLY WHEN THEY BECOME
AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION.
Copies of documents filed by WaferGen with the SEC may be obtained
free of charge at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. In
addition, investors and security holders will be able to obtain
free copies of the proxy statement from WaferGen by going to
WaferGen's Investors page on its corporate website at
www.wafergen.com.
Participants in the Solicitation
WaferGen and its directors and executive officers and other
persons may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of
proxies in respect of the proposed merger agreement.
Information regarding WaferGen's directors and executive officers
is available in WaferGen's Proxy Statement filed with the SEC on
April 12, 2016. Other
information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation
and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by
security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the proxy
statement and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC
when they become available.
INVESTOR CONTACT:
WaferGen Bio-systems, Inc.
Rollie Carlson
Rollie.Carlson@wafergen.com
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SOURCE WaferGen Biosystems, Inc.