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Good Start Genetics Announces Collaboration with PerkinElmer to Bring GoodStart Select™ Carrier Screening Tests to Broader Women's Health MarketCAMBRIDGE, Mass. --(Business Wire)-- Good Start Genetics®, Inc., an innovative molecular genetic information company, today announced a strategic agreement with PerkinElmer, Inc. (NYSE:PKI) to expand access to GoodStart Select™ genetic carrier screening tests beyond the in vitro fertilization (IVF) setting to the broader women's health community, including obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) and maternal fetal medicine (MFM) physicians. GoodStart Select is a menu of genetic carrier screening tests offered by Good Start Genetics that uses sophisticated technologies, including proprietary next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS), to provide highly accurate and clinically actionable genetic information to reproductive partners planning a pregnancy. Test results by GoodStart Select have been shown to provide higher mutation detection rates and fewer missed carriers than traditional screening technologies. "Our continued success with GoodStart Select in the IVF setting demonstrates the clinical value of our robust menu of tests for guideline-recommended genetic disorders. We are excited that PerkinElmer has chosen GoodStart Select as their genetic carrier screening offering of choice," said Don Hardison, president and chief executive officer of Good Start Genetics. "Collaborating with PerkinElmer will allow us to reach more of the 60 million reproductive age women who are candidates for genetic carrier screening, and ultimately help more couples better assess their risks of, and options to avoid, having a baby with a debilitating or fatal inherited genetic disorder ." Under the terms of the collaboration agreement, PerkinElmer will serve as the exclusive commercial partner of Good Start Genetics in the sales and marketing of GoodStart Select to targeted OBGYN and MFM physicians in the United States. The collaboration expands access to the GoodStart Select tests to ordering physicians that are not within Good Start Genetics' current commercial market of in vitro fertilization and broadens PerkinElmer's extensive prenatal screening menu to include the highly-validated genetic carrier screening tests included in the GoodStart Select menu. "PerkinElmer is committed to offering innovative prenatal screening technology as part of our comprehensive diagnostics portfolio," said Jim Corbett, president, Human Health, PerkinElmer. "GoodStart Select further expands our maternal fetal health offerings and enables us to provide even more meaningful tools and clinically actionable information and insights to physicians and patients. We look forward to working with Good Start Genetics to extend genetic carrier screening options for those persons planning a pregnancy. Professional societies, including the American Congress of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (ACOG), the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) and national Jewish advocacy societies have published recommendations for carrier screening to detect potential genetic disorders that are relatively common in certain ethnicities. GoodStart Select is designed to identify known, pathogenic mutations for all inherited genetic disorders recommended for testing by the leading reproductive medicine societies and influential advocacy groups, irrespective of a patient's ethnicity. By arming physicians and patients with this personalized genetic information, GoodStart Select can help reproductive partners to better assess their risk of, and options to avoid, having a child with a debilitating or fatal inherited genetic disorder. About GoodStart Select™ GoodStart Select is Good Start Genetics' menu of genetic carrier screening tests that, for diseases such as cystic fibrosis, detects many more disease-causing mutations than traditional genotyping-based screening tests, regardless of patient ethnicity. After years of development and rigorous validation, Good Start Genetics has been designed to harness the power of its sophisticated technologies, including next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS), to provide highly accurate and actionable tests resulting in higher mutation detection rates and fewer missed carriers. To support its genetic screening capabilities in select markets, Good Start Genetics has a dedicated team of customer care specialists and board certified genetic counselors who provide step-by-step support, from test selection through results, analysis and reporting. Good Start Genetics seeks to enable reproductive health specialists and their patients to have the highest degree of confidence in their genetic carrier screening results. About Good Start Genetics, Inc. Good Start Genetics is an innovative molecular genetic information company focused on fundamentally transforming the standard of care in reproductive medicine by providing physicians and their patients with clinically relevant and actionable information concerning inherited genetic disorders. Good Start Genetics' powerful, proprietary next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS) capabilities, supplemented by other proven genetic screening technologies and supported by its commitment to customer care and genetic counseling enable the company to deliver superior genetic carrier screening test offerings. Through GoodStart Select, the company provides the most comprehensive and clinically actionable menu of genetic carrier screening tests for known and novel mutations that cause inherited genetic disorders. For more information, please visit www.goodstartgenetics.com. PerkinElmer, Inc. is a global leader focused on improving the health and safety of people and the environment. The Company reported revenue of approximately $2.2 billion in 2013, has about 7,600 employees serving customers in more than 150 countries, and is a component of the S&P 500 Index. Additional information is available through 1-877-PKI-NYSE, or at www.perkinelmer.com.
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