Sorenson Genomics plans to expand facilities, staff

Sorenson Genomics said Monday it will expand facilities and add staff to increase facility capacity five-fold to meet growing demand for its DNA-related tests.

The Salt Lake-based company said all company divisions and practices would be affected. It attributed the growth primarily to the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation and The Generations Network.

"We are currently experiencing a sharp increase in demand for all of our business units," Doug Fogg, chief operating officer for Sorenson Genomics, said in a pre- pared statement. "To meet these increasing demands, we are in the process of significantly growing our work force and are investing millions of dollars to improve the efficiency of our laboratory operations, including the expansion of our facilities."

Sorenson business units include Identigene, GeneTree and Sorenson Forensics that provide contract services such as DNA extraction and purification, biological forensics, disaster victim identification, ancestral and population assessment and custom test development.

The other operating division, also called Sorenson Genomics, provides DNA testing services to resellers in more than 70 countries.

The company's expected 25-percent increase in head count will focus on scientists and laboratory technicians.

Sorenson Genomics has a partnership with Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation, which is building the world's largest repository of correlated genetic and genealogical information, comprising more than 5 million records.

This summer, an agreement was forged for Sorenson to perform all genetic testing services for The Generations Network, an online family history and genealogy site.