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Local firm joins fight against tree disease

BEC Group News and PR from BEC Group - Published 14 January 2013 BEC Group engineers and manufactures a portable device for OptiGene that is being used to track the spread of the ash dieback disease.
BEC Group, based at Gore Road industrial estate in New Milton, manufactures a portable device that is being used to track the spread of the ash dieback disease, chalara. Genie II detects bacteria and viruses by identifying gene sequences in their DNA.
The £8,500 touchscreen gadget works through a technique called isothermal DNA amplification that can also be used in clinical diagnostics, food safety, plant health, veterinary medicine and environmental monitoring.
Designed by OptiGene, the device allows scientists to test the DNA of ash trees on-site and provices results in minutes to help establish the scale of the disease across the country. It will also be used by plant health inspectors at Heathrow Airport to inspect imported goods.
BEC Group Commercial Director, Mark Elvy said: “I was pleased to see the Genie II being put to good use by scientists, locally and nationally, to identify the scale of the ash dieback disease which has been endangering Britain’s forests.
When we first engineered the product’s plastics and manufactured the injection mould tooling, I never imagined it being put to this use. It is another example of the UK’s credibility as a source of innovation and manufacturing.”
Around 100 Genie IIs have already been sold and the second batch of 100 is now being made.
"It is another example of the UK’s credibility as a source of innovation and manufacturing.”

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