Tepnel Announces Extension of Supply Agreement of Cystic Fibrosis Screening Kits

Tepnel Life Sciences PLC has announced that it has been awarded a three year extension to its current Supply Agreement to provide ELUCIGENE™ DNA testing kits to the "Association Française pour le Depistage et la Prevention des Handicaps de l’Enfant (AFDPHE)". 

In 2002 the French government funded a national neo-natal screening programme which screens every newborn in France for cystic fibrosis, a debilitating and usually fatal disease. 

A contract to supply ELUCIGENE™ kits to the AFDPHE was originally signed in April 2002 and under this latest extension is effective until April 2009.
 
Early identification of the disease can ensure that the appropriate treatment and support is provided to the child and its parents.

All newborns in France (approximately 800,000 p.a.), are pre-screened for raised levels of immuno-reactive trypsin (IRT). 

Newborns that exhibit a high level of IRT are further screened by DNA testing to confirm the disease. These DNA tests are performed with the ELUCIGENE™ CF30 testing kit.

Mike Webb, the General Manager of Tepnel Diagnostics, said, "We are very pleased to be continuing to work closely with the AFDPHE and are committed to provide simple and effective solutions for mutation detection in disease screening programmes."