Bio-Reference Laboratories Announces Collaboration Agreement with Sysmex America to Further Advance Hematology Diagnostics

“Bio-Reference Laboratories seeks out the finest resources available to enhance our hematology offerings. Our capabilities in the area of hematological malignancies through GenPath, our cancer testing laboratory, have demonstrated our commitment to provide our physician-customers with cutting edge technology,” said Marc D. Grodman, M.D., President & CEO, Bio-Reference Laboratories, Inc. “Sysmex America’s innovation and technical superiority have resulted in a ‘best of breed’ philosophy that has produced a hematology product offering known for its high quality and the introduction of clinically important new parameters. This is the type of partner that Bio-Reference Laboratories seeks in order to provide its physician-customers with competitive, world-class diagnostics. We look forward to a productive and clinically relevant collaboration with Sysmex America.”

This collaboration marks the commitment of Bio-Reference Laboratories to not only provide the best hematology diagnostic services available to physicians today, but also to contribute to the future direction of the diagnostics market through the identification and validation of new instrument applications.

“The research and development information resulting from this collaboration will assist Sysmex America in continuing to provide high-quality product offerings and technological innovation,” said John Kershaw, Chief Operating Officer for Sysmex America Inc.

“The large volume of hematology and oncology patient testing that Bio-Reference Laboratories is currently performing through the company’s specialized cancer pathology and molecular diagnostics unit, GenPath, fits well with our own diagnostic work. Together we will make an excellent platform for advancing the field of hematology diagnostics,” said Kershaw.

Sysmex has been a front runner in technology and innovation as evidenced by the facts that Sysmex was the first company to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance for an automated measurement of immature granulocytes to replace a manually performed test. Sysmex was also the first to automate nucleated red blood cells (NRBCs) using fluorescent flow cytometry for more accurate and sensitive counting to 100 NRBCs per 100 WBCs, and the first to bring the diode laser to hematology. Sysmex Corporation, Japan, is working on new technologies such as minimally invasive glucose monitoring, rapid cancer detection, novel gene amplification and other life science expertise.

About Bio-Reference Laboratories, Inc.
The Company is the largest independent regional clinical laboratory in the Northeast and has major market positions in physician offices, nursing homes and correctional institutions. The Company is a full service clinical laboratory with specialty capability, especially in the areas of genomics, oncology, correctional health, and complimentary medicine. PSIMedica, a business unit of the Company, is a clinical knowledge management (CKM) organization offering an array of information solutions for reducing healthcare costs and improving quality performance that are based on a flexible, scalable software analytical engine that utilizes all available source information, including claims data, enrollment data, prescription data and laboratory data. The Company provides a comprehensive connectivity solution to physicians, which includes disease management, laboratory reporting and ordering, as well as claims and eligibility processing through CareEvolve, its web-based healthcare portal. www.bioreference.com