Orchid Cellmark

Orchid Cellmark is the world's largest private DNA testing firm. They have laboratories in Germantown, Maryland; Dallas, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; and Britain.[1]

The company was established in 1987. It was the first private company to licence the DNA Fingerprinting technology from Alec Jeffreys and the University of Leicester. The company participated in the consultation process which led to the establishment of the Department of Health's voluntary code of practice on genetic paternity testing in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The company undertakes DNA testing on behalf of the CSA and the UK Visas and Immigration scheme.

In February 2007, the company's location in Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire was targeted as part of the Miles Cooper letter bomb campaign. One person, a pregnant receptionist, was injured.[2][3]

In 2004, in the US, the company was accused of manipulating results electronically.[4][5]

Orchid BioSciences Inc. in Princeton, New Jersey is Orchid Cellmark's parent company, As of November 2004.[6]

In December 2011, Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (LabCorp) completed the acquisition of Orchid Cellmark Inc. through its wholly owned subsidiary, OCM Acquisition Corp.[7] It is now, in the United States, called Cellmark Forensics, Inc.

See also

References

  1. Laura Cadiz (November 18, 2004). "Md.-based DNA lab fires analyst over falsified tests". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 30, 2015. Cellmark - the world's largest private DNA testing firm, with labs in Germantown; Dallas; Nashville, Tenn.; and Britain - claims that the falsification occurred in only 20 tests, but it is investigating other cases the analyst worked on.
  2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6339481.stm/ Letter bomb injures woman at Cellmark
  3. John Steele (September 24, 2007). "School worker on trial for letter bomb attacks". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved January 30, 2015. Michelle Evans, a receptionist at Orchid Cellmark, a company which processes DNA samples, opened the first device, which had the name of Barry Horne, a notorious animal rights terrorist, on the back.
  4. Laura Cadiz (November 19, 2004). "Md. case rattles confidence in DNA evidence". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 30, 2015. The Orchid Cellmark employee electronically manipulated the analysis in 20 tests, the company says. Though she did not alter the outcome of the tests, she overrode procedures designed to ensure the accuracy of the tests by substituting data in the known specimen, or control samples, according to Cellmark.
  5. Laura Cadiz (November 18, 2004). "Md.-based DNA lab fires analyst over falsified tests". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 30, 2015. Orchid Cellmark, a Montgomery County-based laboratory that has analyzed DNA for such high-profile cases as the O.J. Simpson trial and the JonBenet Ramsey murder, has fired an analyst for allegedly falsifying test data - setting off a scramble by defense attorneys to review evidence in the affected cases.
  6. Laura Cadiz (November 19, 2004). "Md. case rattles confidence in DNA evidence". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 30, 2015. Dr. Paul Kelly, the CEO of Cellmark's Princeton, N.J.-based parent company, Orchid BioSciences Inc., said yesterday that the company quickly identified the errors and its customers are pleased with its actions.
  7. Matt Evans (December 16, 2011). "LabCorp completes Orchid acquisition". Triad Business Journal. Retrieved January 30, 2015. LabCorp has successfully completed its acquisition of DNA analysis firm Orchid Cellmark after numerous delays, according to an announcement.

External links

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