Shares of Manchester-based molecular diagnostics firm Yourgene Health plc rose about 5% on Thursday as it announced that Yourgene Genomic Services (YGS) was awarded a contract for provision of laboratory capacity to the NHS Test and Trace Programme for Covid-19 testing by the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC).

“In April 2021, the company announced it was successful in securing tenders under Public Health England’s National Microbiology Framework for Lots 1-4 and was one of only three companies to successfully be awarded all four Lots,” said Yourgene.

“This meant public health authorities across the UK were able to issue call-off contracts to procure goods and testing services from Yourgene.

“This contract is the first to come of the National Microbiology Framework Lot wins announced earlier this year, using Yourgene’s high throughput automated COVID-19 services testing laboratory in Citylabs 1.0, Manchester.

“The final contract notice value is the maximum estimated value of the contract.

“Actual value will depend on services purchased. There is no committed spend.”

Yourgene CEO Lyn Rees said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this first contract from the framework, supporting the Government’s testing needs utilising our recently completed high throughput COVID-19 diagnostic testing laboratory.”