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Press ReleasesSQI Diagnostics Announces First SQiDworks™ Platform Shipped for Validation TrialsReleased: Jan 08, 2008 Toronto, Canada, January 8th, 2008– SQI Diagnostics Inc. (TSX-Venture: SQD), a medical systems automation company focused on evolving laboratory-based biomarker testing, today announced that it has shipped the first SQiDworks™ platform and accompanying QuantiSpot™ microarray consumables to Mount Sinai Hospital, which operates a globally recognized autoimmune reference laboratory in Toronto. Mount Sinai will begin validation trials evaluating the analytic performance of the SQiDworks/QuantiSpot system in diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis using its panel of commonly assayed biomarkers. "Shipping our first workstation and QuantiSpot microarray consumables to Mount Sinai Hospital offers the first opportunity to showcase the ease-of-use, speed, and accuracy of our technology in an active laboratory setting. The data generated in this external validation trial will be used in our FDA submission and bring us closer to commercialization of our proprietary biomarker testing technology," said Claude Ricks, CEO of SQI Diagnostics. "Our system should enable Mount Sinai to complete more rheumatoid arthritis tests at a faster rate with lower cost and with specificity and sensitivity equal to or better than current assays." SQI Diagnostics’ internal validation trials demonstrate that its rheumatoid arthritis microassay panel correlated well with current industry standard ELISA tests and showed wider dynamic assay ranges. The microarray includes in-array calibration and the four commonly prescribed biomarkers to diagnose rheumatoid arthritis, specifically Rheumatoid Factor IgA, IgM, IgG, and anti CCP IgG. SQI Diagnostics’ trial focused on its proprietary novel capture molecule for CCP and determined that its CCP biomarker has sensitivity and specificity that is equal to the leading assays. "Early detection and regular monitoring could significantly improve the management of rheumatoid arthritis which affects approximately 1% of the general population in the US," said Mount Sinai Representative Dr. Kenneth Pritzker, Director, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital. "Our current technology requires our lab to complete four separate tests in a semi-automatic fashion for every patient sample. With SQiDworks automation and QuantiSpot multiplexed assay we have the opportunity to deliver the same clinical results in one test per patient and with significant savings in lab technician labour and reagent consumption." SQI Diagnostics expects to ship additional platforms and its corresponding microarray consumables to leading US centers for further validation trials in Q1 2008. The data collected from these studies, together with internal trial data, will be used in SQI Diagnostics’ 510(k) application to the Food and Drug Administration in the first half of 2008. About SQiDworks About QuantiSpot About SQI Diagnostics For further information please contact:
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