Bio-Reference Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ: BRLI) announced today that K-ras mutation testing for patients with metastatic colorectal (mCRC) or non-small-cell lung (NSCLC) cancers will now be available through the Company’s GenPath division. GenPath also offers many other tests as a part of their personalized medicine offering. Some of these are CYP2D6 for tamoxifen resistance, CYP2C9/VKORC1 for warfarin metabolism, and UGT1A1 for irinotecan toxicity. With the addition of K-ras, GenPath has affirmed its stance on the need to promote personalized medicine to tailor the right therapy for the right patient.

According to the NCI, there are about 150,000 new cases of colorectal cancer and 200,000 new cases of lung cancer each year in the US. There is a need for a targeted therapeutic regimen to better treat these patients. Mutations in the K-ras gene are used as molecular markers for the selection of targeted therapy in combination with standard chemotherapy regimens. Specifically, a class of targeted therapeutics called tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are not as effective if a K-ras mutation is present in the tumor. K-ras mutation assessment is important, then, to predict the effectiveness of these therapies. Cetuximab (Erbitux®) and panitumumab (Vectibix®) are TKIs that are used to treat patients with mCRC; K-ras mutations in these patients are associated with therapeutic resistance. TKIs such as erlotinib (Tarceva®) and gefitinib (Iressa®) are used in refractory non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, and K-ras mutations may confer resistance to these drugs.

About Bio-Reference Laboratories, Inc.

BRLI is the third largest full service laboratory in the United States and the largest independent laboratory in the Northeastern market, primarily a clinical testing lab servicing physician offices with concentrations in the focused markets of esoteric testing, molecular diagnostic, anatomical pathology and correctional health care. GenPath is BRLI’s national oncology laboratory. Superior Science and superior technology have enabled GenPath to earn a reputation as one of the premier hematopathology laboratories in the country. GeneDx is the BRLI genetics laboratory and is typically recognized as the leading laboratory for testing of rare genetic diseases; GeneDx has now become a technology leader with GenomeDx, based on a CGH array platform and its upcoming nextgen sequence offerings that will be disease specific.

Statements included in this release that are not historical in nature, are intended to be, and are hereby identified as “forward-looking statements”. Statements looking forward in time are included in this release pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause the Company’s actual results in future periods to be materially different from any future performance suggested herein. www.bioreference.com

Bio-Reference Laboratories, Inc.
Tara Mackay
Investor Relations Coordinator
201-791-2600
Fax: 201-791-1941
tmackay@bioreference.com