ACADEMIA

$15 million investment and alliance puts WuXi NextCODE's unrivalled genome analytics on DNAnexus' cloud platform, seamlessly linked to WuXi PharmaTech's China and global R&D platform

WuXi PharmaTech (Cayman) has announced that its wholly owned subsidiary WuXi NextCODE Genomics and DNAnexus have formed a strategic alliance that aims to accelerate the use of genomics to benefit patients worldwide. Now available via a single platform are the sequence data analysis suite that has analyzed more genomes than any other; pioneering Silicon Valley genomics cloud technology; and global, open-access drug discovery and development capabilities serving the life science industry:

    --  Bringing cloud-based genomics to China and Chinese genomics to the world
    --  Speeding the development and delivery of sequence-based diagnostics worldwide
    --  Expanding research with collaborations and datasets of unprecedented scope and size
    --  Streamlining the development of personalized medicine and companion diagnostics
    --  Leveraging WuXi's leading genomics and R&D through DNAnexus's global cloud

"This strategic investment and partnership bring together the world's best technologies to enable any company or institution to leverage the full power of genomics and our R&D capabilities at any time, from anywhere," commented Dr. Ge Li, Chairman and CEO of WuXi PharmaTech. "By connecting through a compliant cloud everything from CLIA sequencing to drug discovery and development to companion diagnostics, we are empowering clinicians, institutions and life science companies to use genomics to benefit patients more globally and effectively than ever before."

"This alliance with DNAnexus will fuel innovation across the science and business of genomics and make our collective capabilities even more valuable to the range of our customers on four continents," said Hannes Smarason, Chief Operating Officer of WuXi NextCODE. "We see this transforming the way large-scale sequence data is applied, underpinning virtual diagnostics enterprises, breakthroughs in rare disease and the rapid advance of more targeted, personalized medicine."

"Our customers are global in scope, and we're teaming with WuXi NextCODE to extend the power and geographic reach of our cloud solution to support our partners' efforts," said Richard Daly, CEO of DNAnexus. "China has 20% of the world's sequencing capacity and is a pillar of cutting-edge science worldwide. The DNAnexus platform enables research, drug development and clinical diagnostic testing worldwide, and this alliance and investment allows us to expand our global network for genomic medicine."

With WuXi NextCODE's unique genomic database model and clinical and research interfaces directly available on the DNAnexus cloud, users will be able to store and interpret their sequence data and collaborate with colleagues around the world through one platform. The companies will also provide and host the same platform and capabilities within China, in full compliance with local regulations. Users will be able to use their genomic data seamlessly in tandem with the open-access capability and technology platform that WuXi offers to the global pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and medical device industry.