Constant innovation puts Eurofins at the forefront of Full Genome Sequencing for industry

Rapid technological developments in DNA sequencing over the last five years have driven the exponential growth in the entire Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) market, estimated to reach some US$ 1.3bn¹ by the end of 2011, and continue to grow at double-digit rates for at least the next five years². Whilst the vast proportion of the NGS market is still in equipment manufacturing, the market for service provision is also growing as the resulting downward trend in the cost of full genome sequencing from US$ 100,000 to US$ 5,000 has widened its application beyond medicine and diagnostics. The addressable market for NGS service providers should widen even further as technological advancements in sequencing equipment are widely expected to drive the cost to just US$ 100 per genome, enabling mass-application of NGS across industries.

Eurofins MWG Operon, the genomics services arm of Eurofins, is one of the top three global providers of genomics services, with a market share of close to 10%, and ideally-positioned to capture the growth that is expected to accelerate even further on the back of continued scientific innovation.

In this high-growth market characterized by fast technology turnover, Eurofins MWG Operon has been providing customers with consistently high quality service for sequencing across Europe, US and Asia.  For more than 20 years, the company has remained at the forefront of sequencing, leveraging the expertise of its own scientists and technological innovation both in-house and by its strategic partners.  From routine sequencing using basic Sanger™ technology, through to the latest next-generation sequencing platforms, the Company remains one of the key innovators in its field. Most recently, the company announced the inclusion of the latest NGS technology - PacBio RS™ - into its extensive portfolio of new sequencing platforms, highlighting its strength as one of the top NGS providers in the world, supported by constant innovation and unparalleled scientific expertise.

Eurofins MWG Operon runs one of the largest commercial next-generation sequencing laboratories in Europe, supported by leading experts and one of the most solid IT infrastructures in the market.  Through its global organization and its international network of genomic laboratories across 3 continents, the Company offers next-generation sequencing services around the world, satisfying the demand of global customers for studies spread over Europe, US, India, Japan and China.  Through Eurofins MWG Operon, Eurofins is one of the few service providers with the capability to offer to its customers a complete set of the most advanced sequencing technologies, breaking the technological walls, and giving routine access to full genome sequencing of organisms. This technological breakthrough gives rise to a new generation of analytical testing methodologies, which in turn will have profound impact on the way testing is done across all industries, including food, pharma and environment - all of which are core to Eurofins' business.

As one of the pioneering providers of next generation sequencing, Eurofins MWG Operon is currently the preferred partner of many public and private research laboratories and institutions. Therefore, as next generation sequencing evolves from a predominantly research tool to wider-based industrial applications for the benefit of all consumers, Eurofins is well-positioned to benefit from its leading position in the field of genome sequencing.

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¹ Includes tools/equipment plus services

²Next Generation Sequencing: Opportunities, Trends and World Market, May 1, 2011.

About Eurofins MWG Operon

Eurofins MWG Operon, a member of the Eurofins Group with major offices and production facilities in Europe, the United States, and Asia, is an international provider of DNA sequencing services, DNA synthesis products and bioinformatic services for academic and industrial research. As one of the first service providers for next generation sequencing, Eurofins MWG Operon has established profound know-how and proprietary protocols to cover a broad range of applications. The company's strength is its strong customer orientation, fast service, and high quality. For further information, please visit our website at: www.eurofinsdna.com

About Eurofins

Eurofins Scientific is a global life sciences company providing a comprehensive range of analytical testing services to clients in the food, pharmaceutical and environmental sectors. Within the pharmaceutical sector, Eurofins is active in five key areas: Genomics, Pre-clinical, Clinical, Pharmaceutical Product Testing or cGMP Quality Control (QC), and AgroScience Research.   The Group generated pro-forma* 2010 revenues of over USD 1 billion and employs about 9,500 staff in more than 150 laboratories across 30 countries. The Group offers a portfolio of over 100,000 reliable analytical methods for evaluating the authenticity, origin, safety, identity, composition and purity of biological substances and products.

The shares of Eurofins Scientific are listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris Stock Exchange (ISIN FR0000038259, Reuters EUFI.PA, Bloomberg ERF FP)

Important disclaimer:

This press release contains forward-looking statements and estimates did involve Risks and Uncertainties. The forward-looking statements and estimates contained in represent The Judgement of Eurofins Scientific 'management as of the date of this release. These forward-looking statements are not Guarantees for future performance, and the forward-looking events in this release Discussed May Not Occur. Eurofins Scientific disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements of thesis and estimates. All statements and estimates are made based on the data available to the Company as of the date of publication, but no guarantee can be made as to Their validity.