FREMONT, Calif. and MILWAUKEE, Feb. 02, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WaferGen Bio-systems (NASDAQ:WGBS) announced today that the Company has signed a supply agreement with BloodCenter of Wisconsin (BCW), a not-for-profit organization that specializes in blood services, diagnostic testing, organ, tissue and marrow donation, medical services and leading-edge research.  WaferGen will provide SmartChip™ Real-Time PCR solutions to BloodCenter of Wisconsin to perform high-throughput molecular red cell antigen typing of blood donors.  Prior to this agreement, BCW gained international recognition in the field of blood group genotyping having developed the capacity to perform high-throughput molecular typing.  The agreement with WaferGen will accelerate BCW’s goal to expand the availability of specialty blood products and services across Versiti^TM, an affiliation of four separate blood centers whose combined breadth of blood-related expertise and services is unmatched.

The SmartChip™ Real-Time PCR System is a flexible, high-throughput nanoliter-scaled molecular analysis platform consisting of both instrumentation and consumable panels designed by the customer to specific applications. Through the implementation of this system, BCW will have the ability to cost effectively evaluate hundreds of samples per day against a panel of clinically important red blood cell surface antigens.

“BloodCenter of Wisconsin continuously strives to deliver the most efficacious solutions to improve donor safety and patient health,” said Ilke Panzer, Senior Vice-President of Diagnostic Laboratories.  “Pairing our scientific and medical expertise with the SmartChip™ technology offers a synergy that improves our ability to identify and provide the best matched blood for unique patient needs, especially those with rare and uncommon blood types.”

"We look forward to supporting the BloodCenter of Wisconsin in their efforts to provide innovative life-saving blood services and products," said Rollie Carlson, CEO of WaferGen BioSystems.  “BCW is renowned for being on the forefront of transfusion medicine and we are excited that our SmartChip™ Real-Time PCR solutions will enable them to continue pursuing important medical advancements aimed at enhancing patient care.”

About BloodCenter of Wisconsin

BloodCenter of Wisconsin, part of Versiti, is a not-for-profit organization that specializes in blood services, diagnostic testing, organ, tissue and marrow donation, medical services and leading-edge research. BloodCenter of Wisconsin is the sole provider of blood to 56 hospitals in 29 Wisconsin counties as well as providing support to hospitals and patients across the country. BloodCenter of Wisconsin advances patient care by delivering life-saving solutions grounded in unparalleled medical and scientific expertise. For more information, visit www.bcw.edu.

About Versiti


Versiti was formed with the mission to improve the health of patients and enable the success of its healthcare partners nationally. We provide innovative, value added solutions in the fields of transfusion medicine, transplantation, and blood-related diseases to meet the needs of each of our customers. The collective efforts of Versiti affiliates result in improved patient outcomes, expanded access to care and cost efficiencies for healthcare systems nationwide. For more information, visit www.versiti.org.

Versiti

Deep Expertise. Broad Impact.

About WaferGen

WaferGen Bio-systems, Inc. is a biotechnology company that offers innovative genomic technology solutions for single-cell analysis and clinical research. The ICELL8^TM Single-Cell System can isolate thousands of single cells and processes specific cells for analysis, including Next Generation Sequencing. The system has demonstrated unbiased isolation of up to 1,800 single cells ranging from 5-100 µm in size on a single chip, including single cells from solid tumors, brain cells, pulmonary airway cells, and multiple cell lines. The SmartChip^TM platform can be used for profiling and validating molecular biomarkers, and can perform massively-parallel singleplex PCR for one-step target enrichment and library preparation for clinical NGS. The Apollo 324^TM system can be used to process DNA and RNA from clinical samples to next generation sequencing ready libraries. These technologies offer a powerful set of tools for biological analysis at the molecular and single-cell level in the life sciences, pharmaceutical, and clinical laboratory industries.

For additional information, please see http://www.wafergen.com.

Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended that are intended to be covered by the "safe harbor" created by those sections. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as "believe," "expect," "may," "will," "should," "could," "seek," "intend," "plan," "estimate," "anticipate" or other comparable terms.  Forward-looking statements in this press release may address the following subjects among others: statements regarding the sufficiency of our capital resources, expected operating losses, expected revenues, expected expenses, expected cash usage, our expectations regarding our development of future products including single cell analysis technologies and our expectations concerning our competitive position and business strategy.  Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, as a result of various factors including those risks and uncertainties described in the Risk Factors and in Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations sections of our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.  We urge you to consider those risks and uncertainties in evaluating our forward-looking statements.  We caution readers not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made.  Except as otherwise required by the federal securities laws, we disclaim any obligation or undertaking to publicly release any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained herein (or elsewhere) to reflect any change in our expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

WAFERGEN CONTACTS:
LifeSci Advisors, LLC
Brian Ritchie
BRitchie@LifeSciAdvisors.com

WaferGen Bio-systems, Inc.      
Rollie Carlson
Rollie.Carlson@wafergen.com

BLOODCENTER OF WISCONSIN CONTACT:
Fay Spano
414-937-6124