A US biotech company which owns a DNA-testing business in Abingdon is facing a crisis over its plummeting share price.

The US stock exchange Nasdaq has warned Orchid BioSciences that it will be removed from the listing unless its share price rises above the $1 mark before January 8.

Spokesman Tracy Henrikson said: "We hope that this will not happen.

"In any case, 15 per cent of all Nasdaq companies are below $1 and they don't want to de-list all of them.

"We can show what we are doing to improve things and we hope that they will deal with it on a case-by-case basis."

Orchid BioSciences took over Abingdon-based Cellmark Diagnostics two years ago.

In its third quarter, Orchid announced revenues up from $7.4m to $17m, and losses of $22.3m.