Geospiza solutions now in use at Syngenta sites in both North Carolina and UK

Syngenta (NYSE: SYT), a world leader in agribusiness committed to sustainable agriculture through innovative research and technology, has expanded its use of Geospiza Finch Sequencing Center Enterprise Edition as the company enters its second year rolling out Geospiza systems within its crop genetics centers of excellence on both sides of the Atlantic. With more than 4,000 people involved in research worldwide and $727 million invested in research and development in 2003, Syngenta is capitalizing on the benefits of increasing DNA sequencing production efficiency with the Geospiza Finch system.

Geospiza Finch Sequencing Center was first installed at Syngenta’s Jealott’s Hill International Research Centre in the United Kingdom in 2002 to reduce turnaround times for investigative biotechnology projects. There, Geospiza Finch Sequencing Center has been a major factor, in combination with other Syngenta systems, in as much as doubling the Jealott’s Hill sequencing capacity in 2003 without requiring additional staff to handle the expanded workload. At the same time, Geospiza Finch system has provided Syngenta with a flexible means to track samples and archive data. Syngenta has recently installed a similar Finch system at its Research Triangle Park facility in North Carolina, making Geospiza Finch Sequencing Center a key to cost-effective productivity at both of its crop genetics centers of excellence.

States Dr. John Ormrod, Head of Syngenta’s IS, UK Research, Technology and Development, " We are pleased with the results we've seen from including Finch Sequencing Center as our enterprise solution for DNA sequencing information management. It forms a key part of a strategic project to create and maintain a single, integrated information platform supporting our international biotechnology research efforts".

Todd Smith, Ph.D., chairman and CEO of Geospiza, adds, “Syngenta is a major research and development enterprise with a large and ever-increasing demand for the highest quality sequencing data. By streamlining the sequencing data management process and automating the data quality assessment and assembly, Geospiza Finch Sequencing Center is helping global sequencing facilities like Syngenta keep up with growing demand and throughput requirements, thus freeing researchers to focus on the science of discovery.

Geospiza Finch Sequencing Center leverages web-based forms and enterprise-level IT infrastructure and databases for managing sequencing data, analysis and laboratory workflow. Resulting data is automatically checked by the Finch software for quality, then trimmed, vector masked, assembled, and delivered into a designated secure database scientists can use to review results or share with colleagues and collaborators.

Geospiza combines life sciences and IT expertise to deliver low-cost, high-productivity software systems to research teams and core labs worldwide. Geospiza’s system for DNA sequencing laboratory workflow, data management and analysis turns complex scientific processes into reliable, upgradeable and scalable every-day practices scientists and technicians can use to get their work done. Geospiza was founded in 1997 and serves more than 3,000 end-users in emerging biotechnology, academic, government and bio-pharmaceutical companies worldwide.

Syngenta is a world-leading agribusiness committed to sustainable agriculture through innovative research and technology. The company is a leader in crop protection, and ranks third in the high-value commercial seeds market. Sales in 2003 were approximately US$ 6.6 billion. Syngenta employs some 19,000 people in over 90 countries. Syngenta is listed on the Swiss stock exchange (SYNN) and in New York (NYSE: SYT).