Cepheid
Medical Devices & Tech  Advamed Member
904 Caribbean Drive
Sunnyvale, CA 94089 USA
phone: (408) 541-4191
fax: (408) 541-4192
Symbol CPHD
Exchange Nasdaq
Founded 1996
Employees 473
www.cepheid.com
Research Sector Medical Devices & Tech
Summary Description
Integrated Diagnostic Systems for Automated and Accelerated Biological Testing
Management
John L. Bishop, CEO; John R. Sluis, CFO; Robert J. Koska, Sr. VP of Sales & Marketing; Humberto Reyes, Sr. VP of Operations; Joseph H. Smith , Sr. VP of Legal/Bus. Devel; Emily S. Winn-Deen, Ph.D., VP of Strategic Planning & Bus. Devel.
Ownership
Financials Mkt Cap :681


* numbers in thousands

 
Keywords
dna, dna testing, disease detection, diagnosis, genetic assessment, microfluidic, microelectronic, terrorism, biothreat, diagnostics, human genome, salmonella, e.coli, leukemia, enterovirus, anthrax, advamed, mrsa , advamed

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Description
Cepheid develops, manufactures and markets genetic analysis systems for the clinical, industrial, agricultural and biothreat markets. The company's systems integrate complicated and time-intensive steps to enable the analysis of complex biological samples.
Products / Services
Cepheid's SmartCycler uses real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology to amplify and detect DNA samples for genetic analysis. Each procedure lasts 30-40 minutes, and the SmartCycler is capable of simultaneously running multiple experiments with various protocols and/or at different times. The GeneXpert integrates automated sample preparation with the SmartCycler technology. Cepheid's GeneXpert Infinity System is a complete on-demand, robotic and molecular lab that can deliver over 2000 test results within 24 hours. The company has also developed assays incorporating these technologies in oncology applications and in the detection of drug-resistant S. aureus bacteria (MRSA). Cepheid's product pipeline also includes: IVD tests for applications in critical infectious disease and women's health, analyte specific reagents, industrial reagents, and biothreat tests.
Technology / Differentiation
Cepheid's systems are based on microfluidic and microelectronic technologies. The SmartCycler combines rapid thermal heating and cooling of reaction mixtures with optical monitoring of each reaction site for signal detection, reducing the total time necessary for each experiment. Multiple fluorescent dyes permit signal detection of up to four channels at once. The GeneXpert cartridges include a syringe drive, rotary drive and a sonic horn; the sonic horn delivers ultrasonic energy to lyse the raw specimen and release the nucleic acids contained within, while the syringe and rotary drives move liquid between cartridge chambers in order to wash, purify and concentrate these nucleic acids. After the automated extraction is complete, the nucleic acid concentrate is moved into the cartridge reaction chamber where amplification and detection takes place. The GeneXpert software and barcode scanner easily manage data and display results. Additionally, the Infinity System contains a master scheduler that prioritizes test runs and provides alerts. It is equipped for bi-directional connectivity, allowing for seamless flow of communication of all incoming and outgoing test orders and results.
Market / Customers
As of June 30, 2008, a cumulative total of 717 GeneXpert systems and 3,560 modules have been placed worldwide. The company expects total revenue to be in the range of $173 to $177 million for the fiscal year 2008, of which product sales are expected to be in the range of $164 to $167 million.
Competitors / Substitutes / Alternatives
Applied Biosystems; Qiagen NV
Status
On July 29, 2008, Cepheid unveiled its Infinity-48 system at the 2008 American Association for Clinical Chemistry annual meeting; shipments are expected to begin in December 2008. Additionally, the GeneXpert MRSA tests have been used to conduct molecular surveillance testing in several locations nationwide and internationally (i.e., Canada, Mexico, and Australia).


2008-11-23-1379