Bio Screening Industry News

Mechelen, Belgium & Moscow, Russia, 12 May 2005 - Galapagos NV, a genomics-based drug discovery company and ASINEX Ltd, a worldwide leader in lead generation and optimization announce that they have initiated an integrated drug discovery collaboration in bone and joint diseases. The collaboration will result in a set of optimized leads for Galapagos’ validated bone and joint disease drug targets. Financial details have not been disclosed.

In the first phase of the collaboration, Galapagos’ biologists will work closely with ASINEX’s medicinal chemists, using ASINEX’s computational chemistry expertise and proprietary chemical compound libraries to generate new leads for Galapagos’ proprietary targets. The second phase will consist of the design and optimization of the lead structures. ASINEX’s aim is to provide Galapagos with a patentable candidate drug series.

“Galapagos has identified a set of proteins that play a pivotal role in bone formation through its functional screening platform.” said Graham Dixon, Galapagos’ Chief Scientific Officer “ASINEX’s expertise in computational and medicinal chemistry complements Galapagos’ strong disease biology expertise and it will extend our small molecule drug candidate portfolio in our core disease areas. Therefore, this collaboration will ensure maximum chances of success for Galapagos’ drug discovery programs.”

Dmitry Genis, ASINEX’s CEO stated, “We are delighted that Galapagos have chosen ASINEX in order to initiate their drug discovery programs. We believe that ASINEX’s integrated drug discovery services are very hard to surpass. We are fully committed to providing Galapagos with a high value set of lead compounds and to develop a successful and long-term relationship.”

About ASINEX
ASINEX is a provider of ‘Intelligent Chemistry’ for lead generation and optimization. ASINEX is an innovative creator of novel high quality compound libraries for screening, and has more than 400,000 drug-like small molecules. With a total of 151 chemists (54 PhD), 9 computational chemists (7 PhD) and 38 biologists / biochemists (24 PhD), ASINEX is establishing itself as a company of choice for integrated drug discovery services.
For more information: www.asinex.com

About Galapagos
Galapagos is a publicly traded, genomics-based drug discovery company (Euronext Brussels, GLPG; Euronext Amsterdam, GLPGA) that has successfully discovered and validated novel targets in the bone and joint diseases - osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as in asthma and Alzheimer’s disease. Proprietary targets and compounds resulting from these programs are used for Galapagos’ internal drug discovery programs, combined with selected out-licensing and partnering of projects during development. Galadeno, Galapagos’ services unit, provides reagents and functional screens to leading pharmaceutical, biotech and nutraceutical companies for rapid identification and validation of novel drug targets. Galapagos currently employs 68 people, including 16 PhDs, and occupies facilities in Mechelen, Belgium, and Leiden, The Netherlands. Partners include Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, GlaxoSmithKline, Vertex and Wyeth.
For more information: www.glpg.com

DUBLIN, Ireland, May 6 /PRNewswire/ — Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c17061 ) has announced the addition of Emerging Drug Discovery Technologies: Building competitive advantage through lab-on-a-chip, nanotechnology and RNAi to their offering.

Emerging Drug Discovery Technologies: Building competitive advantage through lab-on-a-chip, nanotechnology and RNAi, is a new report which provides an in-depth analysis of three technological innovations that are being heralded to revolutionize the drug discovery process by rapidly expediting drug discovery research. This report focuses on lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices, nanotechnology and RNA interference drug discovery technologies that are increasingly being used to identify novel drug targets and to successfully reduce R&D timelines.

This report also provides:
- In-depth analysis of the market forces
- Current and future technological advances
- Detailed company profiles

- Eight year forecasts of market size for LOC devices, nanotechnology in drug discovery and RNA interference technologies and therapeutics

Key Findings of the Report:

- The markets for LOC devices, nanotechnology, and RNAi technologies and therapeutics are set to experience phenomenal growth rates, driven by novel product developments and new market entrants.

- The nanotechnology market is forecast to reach $955m by 2012, a CAGR (2004-2012) of 28.3%, while the LOC/microfluidics market is projected to generate sales of $1,530m in 2012, a CAGR of 35.5%. The larger RNAi market is predicted to be worth $1.1bn in 2012, although its CAGR is lower at 16.1%.

- Some of the major factors driving growth and expansion of the LOC device market include: high throughput screening, increased automation, reduction in sample requirement, reduced exposure to hazardous materials, and the increased rate at which potential drug targets are screened.

- At an embryonic stage of development, nano-enabled drugs are already bringing clinical benefits to thousands of patients. Two examples are Abraxane for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer, and RenaZorb, which provides phosphate control in kidney dialysis patients

- The resolution of several patent and licensing disputes, which threatened to halt the growth and expansion of the RNAi field, is now allowing more companies to enter the RNAi field. This is expected to further boost RNAi market growth in the future.

Key questions answered in this report

- What will the market for lab-on-a-chip (LOC), nanoenabled drug discovery and RNAi technology be worth in 2012?

- How can these three technologies be effectively applied in the drug discovery process?

- What are the major factors driving and restraining market expansion of these technologies in drug discovery?

- Who are the leading players within each of the three markets and how competitive or fragmented are the markets?

- Which pharmaceutical and biotech companies are investing in lab-on-a- chip (LOC), nanotechnology and RNAi, and what strategic alliances, partnerships and agreements have been formed during the last few years?

Top five reasons to read this report today:

1.) Gain insight into new technological developments in LOC devices, nanotechnology and RNAi and their applications in the pharmaceutical industry to develop new drugs.

2.) Improve productivity and reduce R&D expenditure by understanding how LOC devices, nanotechnology and RNAi technology can be applied to all stages of the drug development process.

3.) Review in-depth analysis of strategic alliances, acquisitions and agreements between pharmaceutical/biotech companies and LOC, nanotechnology and RNAi vendors.

4.) Understand where LOC devices, nanotechnology and RNAi have already impacted the identification of new drug targets and biomarkers for diagnosis screening.

5.) Highlight the efficacy and potential long-term cost effectiveness of LOC devices, nanotechnology and RNAi for drug discovery.

Companies mentioned inside this report include the following:-

- Aclara BioSciences
- Advion BioSciences, Inc.
- Agilent Technologies
- BioMicro Systems
- BioTrove Inc.
- Caliper Life Sciences
- Cepheid
- CombiMatrix Corp.
- Eksigent Technologies
- Epigem Limited
- Fluidigm Corp.
- Gyros AB
- Nanogen
- Nanostream Inc.
- Protiveris
- Sequenom
- Zyomyx
- 3DM Inc.
- Alnis Biosciences Inc.
- American Pharmaceuticals Partners Inc.
- BioCrystal Ltd.
- BioForce NanoSciences Inc.
- CrystalPlex Corp.
- C Sixty Inc.
- Evident Technologies, Inc.
- NanBio Corp.
- Nanosphere
- PharmaSeq, Inc
- Quantum Dot Corp.
- Ambion

- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
- Benitec Ltd
- CytRx Corp.
- Cenix BioScience
- Devgen
- Dharmacon, Inc.
- Eurogentec (EGT)
- Imgenex Corp.
- Immusol Inc.
- Invitrogen Corp.
- InvivoGen
- MWG Biotech
- Proligo
- Promega
- Qiagen.
- Sirna Therapeutics

For more information visit
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c17061

Source: Research and Markets

NEW YORK, May 10 /PRNewswire/ — According to a new report released today from Kalorama Information, the world market for drug discovery informatics products will top $1 billion in the next three years. Leading growth in the area is the still nascent in-silico modeling tools segment, which promises to provide valuable structural, screening, and validation information at a fraction of the costs of traditional methods.

The new study, Informatics in Drug Discovery: The Evolving Information Technology Marketplace, found that the more established areas of bioinformatics and cheminformatics still represent the largest revenues over the next few years. However, the very dynamic area of computer modeling will increasingly make its impact on drug discovery.

“Researchers are divided on the usefulness of in-silico approaches,” notes Jack Gardner, the author of the study. “Nay-sayers point to the spotty results of the current models, but proponents note that the tools can provide fast results which are extremely cost-effective especially for decision support in target validation and binding.”

Regardless of the ongoing debate on in-silico approaches, improvements in computer power and modeling technology will be major drivers of the informatics marketplace. According to the study, informatics promises to shorten the discovery process by at least 15%.

In addition to in-silico modeling, the study details the market for bioinformatics, cheminformatics, and hardware and systems, segmenting the market by application within each category. The report provides market size and growth in each subsegment, forecasts revenues to 2008, and estimates market shares of the major competitors. Profiles of more than 30 companies are included, as are responses to a survey of industry experts from the suppliers and users.

Priced at $3,000, Informatics in Drug Discovery: The Evolving Information Technology Marketplace can be purchased directly from Kalorama Information by clicking http://www.kaloramainformation.com/pub/1005790.html . It is also available at MarketResearch.com .

About Kalorama Information

Kalorama Information, an imprint of MarketResearch.com, supplies the latest in independent market research for the life sciences. For more information, contact Steven Heffner at 212-807-2634 or sheffner@kaloramainformation.com, or visit http://www.KaloramaInformation.com .

About MarketResearch.com

MarketResearch.com is the leading provider of global market intelligence products and services. With over 91,000 research publications from 350 research publishers, the world’s most extensive database of expert insights on global industries. For more information, contact Irina Frukhtbeyn at 301-468-3650 x.203 or ifrukhtbeyn@marketresearch.com, or visit http://www.MarketResearch.com .

Source: Kalorama Information

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., May 9 /PRNewswire/ — Southern Research Institute today announced that it has entered into a joint collaborative research program with Schering-Plough Corporation (NYSE: SGP - News) to discover novel compounds as potential new products to treat infectious disease.

Building on leads generated from Southern Research’s proprietary compound repository, scientists from both companies will interact closely as a drug discovery team in a lead expansion and optimization program. Southern Research Institute will share in intellectual property and receive milestone payments gained from the efforts.

“We have conducted drug discovery work for decades through self-funded research and various government contracts and grants, and have been successful,” said John A. Secrist III, Ph.D., vice president of the Drug Discovery Division at Southern Research. “We welcome this opportunity to work with Schering-Plough, a world leader in the discovery and development of innovative therapies. We will be able to combine the strengths of two successful scientific teams in drug discovery with a singular focus to bring new drugs to market to treat unmet medical needs.”

Southern Research has a proven track record in the early discovery and synthesis of anticancer drugs. Its medicinal chemists have discovered and synthesized six of the FDA approved cancer drugs now on the market with Clofarabine being the most recent to win approval in late 2004. The company also creates and tests drugs for neurodegenerative disorders and infectious diseases, including HIV, Hepatitis, Herpes, Tuberculosis, SARS, Hantavirus, Avian influenza and West Nile virus.

“While our organization is unique in the drug discovery and development environment we have created, all of our efforts are focused on finding new compounds that show promising activity against disease targets, and doing what’s necessary to get those drugs to market,” said David R. Harris, director of Drug Discovery business development at Southern Research Institute. “Being able to work with Schering-Plough complements their strategic efforts and expertise.”

About Southern Research Institute

Southern Research is a diversified network of collaborative centers for scientific discovery and technology development. Southern Research is a recognized leader in leveraging more than 60 years of achievement to create innovative solutions for public and private sector clients in the pharmaceutical, health, biotechnology, chemical and biological defense, homeland security, automotive, environmental, energy, aerospace and engineering industries. Southern Research is based in Birmingham, Ala., with other major research operations in Frederick, Md. and Research Triangle Park, NC. For more information, visit www.southernresearch.org .

Media Contact

Rhonda Jung, Southern Research Institute, 205-581-2317, jung@sri.org

Source: Southern Research Institute

The two companies’ offerings are ideally complementary and the agreement will therefore build on their inherent synergies. Cenix is providing research services for the life science industry and academic groups, focusing on the combination of high throughput (HT) RNAi with high content (HC) assays in human and rodent cells. For those groups capable of carrying out such large scale studies themselves, Definiens is providing its uniquely powerful image analysis software system, Cellenger®, based on Definiens’ Cognition Network Technology.

As Cenix has constantly sought to further strengthen its capabilities in microscopy-based screening and automated image analysis, its scientists have tested a wide range of third party solutions from academia and industry efforts alike. Its early analysis of Cellenger® software in the context of genome-scale RNAi-based screens in human cells convinced Cenix to invest further efforts in assisting Definiens with the development and marketing of this world-class package.

“The combination of these technologies will be crucial to solidify Cenix’ leadership in providing the best and most efficient high content read-out capabilities to our customers” said Christophe Echeverri, CEO/CSO of Cenix BioScience.

Definiens, having recognized Cenix’s leading global position in the field of HT/HC-RNAi based experimentation, has welcomed such specialized input on precisely those cell-based applications that have now emerged a key driver for a wide range of life science research fields.

“Through this alliance, we begin realizing the strong synergies that exist between Definiens and Cenix in the field of high-content screening”, said Thomas Heydler, Chief Executive Officer of Definiens. “With our leading-edge Cellenger® HCS solution we offer a comprehensive application for automated image analysis and our collaboration with Cenix will allow us to reach a new form of excellence in the HCS market.”

Cenix BioScience is using Cellenger® for the development and implementation of multi-parameter assays for HT-RNAi studies in cultured human and rodent cells for target discovery and validation, as well as analyses of drug modes of action. Under the terms of the agreement Cenix gets broad access to Cellenger® software, which will be integrated into its existing HT/HC-RNAi-based research infrastructure, enabling the widest possible range of advanced microscopy-based assays in the context of its research service offerings.

The Definiens Cellenger® HCS solution is an advanced software system for the powerful automated high-content analysis of cell-based assays that enable reliable and fully automated data extraction. The Cellenger® HCS solution allows detailed analysis of structures of interest even in complex image data and the extracted objects are counted and morphometrically measured. Definiens will receive product development and marketing assistance from Cenix through beta-testing feedback, data sharing and reference site support. Commercial terms of the worldwide, non-exclusive agreement were not disclosed.

About Cenix BioScience

Cenix BioScience GmbH is a pioneer and leader in high throughput (HT), genome-driven applications of RNA interference (RNAi) for the discovery and validation of new therapeutic drug targets. Founded in 1999 as the first biotechnology company specializing exclusively in HT-RNAi, Cenix has accumulated unparalleled depth and breadth of experience in this field, combining high content phenotypic analyses with proprietary genome-wide RNAi libraries for use in key experimental systems, including a wide range of human and rodent cells. Cenix is now making its unique expertise accessible to industry and academic researchers through highly customizable research services. Please contact Cenix or visit the company’s web site www.cenix-bioscience.com for more information.

About Definiens

Definiens is a leading provider of high-content image analysis solutions. Based on Definiens Cognition Network Technology®, a fundamental technology which models human thought, Definiens products enable the extraction of objects of interest from biomedical images. Main applications are in drug research and other biopharmaceutical processes. Definiens more than 100 customers in the field of life sciences are companies such as Altana, Aventis, Intervet, Merck, Novartis, and Novo Nordisk as well as Academia & Research Institutions such as NGFN and NIH. Founded in 1994 by Nobel Prize Laureate Prof. Dr. Gerd Binnig, Definiens today has 40 employees and is based in Munich, Germany. For further information regarding the company and its products please visit www.definiens.com.

More Information:

Cenix BioScience GmbH
Zisi Fotev, Ph. D.
Tatzberg 47
01307 Dresden, Germany
Tel: +49-(0)-351-4173-0
Fax: +49-(0)-351-4173-197
Email: fotev@cenix-bioscience.com

Definiens AG
Andrea Muller-Beilschmidt
Tel : +49-(0)89-23-11-80-36
Mobile : +49-(0)171-76-66-518
Fax : +49-(0)89-23-11-80-90
Email: pr@definiens.com

Source: Cenix BioScience GmbH

The Corning CellBIND Surface is a patented technology using a microwave process to improve cell attachment by modifying the polystyrene and incorporating more oxygen into the cell culture surface, rendering it more hydrophilic and increasing surface stability. The increased stability of the surface allows for more consistent cell attachment as cells are less likely to be removed during washing steps and media changes.

“At Corning we are focused on innovative market leadership, product quality and performance, and collaborative development efforts to ensure our customers’ needs are met,” said Lydia Kenton, Business Manager, Cells, Corning Life Sciences. “Our latest Corning CellBIND Surface technology clearly demonstrates our commitment to research and development and to working closely with our customers to understand what technologies they require to best do their jobs.”

The Corning CellBIND Surface is a nonbiological surface and does not require special handling or storage. Additional Corning CellBIND Surface products include roller bottles, flasks, and CellSTACK® Culture Chambers and , 96 and 384 microplates..

Corning Life Sciences helps customers succeed by providing innovative, high-quality products and service in the areas of polymer science, biochemistry and molecular biology, glass melting and forming, surface modification and characterization science. The business’ dedication to quality, technology, and innovation has enabled it to produce a comprehensive line of plastic laboratory disposables and reusable glassware that exceeds American Standard Testing Method (ASTM) standards for life science research.

About Corning Incorporated

Corning Incorporated (www.corning.com) is a diversified technology company that concentrates its efforts on high-impact growth opportunities. Corning combines its expertise in specialty glass, ceramic materials, polymers and the manipulation of the properties of light, with strong process and manufacturing capabilities to develop, engineer and commercialize significant innovative products for the telecommunications, information display, environmental, semiconductor, and life sciences industries.

Source: Corning Incorporated

The World Pharmaceutical Congress
May 24-26, 2005
Pennsylvania Convention Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Cambridge Healthtech Institute’s Fourth Annual World Pharmaceutical Congress will be held May 24-26, 2005 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA. The World Pharmaceutical Congress is the premier R&D event, where pharmaceutical leaders will gather to discuss the industry challenges of bringing new drugs to market with tighter timelines and stricter regulatory scrutiny. To Register or for More Event Details Visit www.WorldPharmaCongress.com

SAN DIEGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–May 3, 2005–Accelrys, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACCL - News), today announced the launch of a number of next-generation products across its entire portfolio of software for pharmaceutical, chemical, and materials researchers. Additionally, the company announced its Open Integration Platform, which will integrate Accelrys and SciTegic software in order to enable tailor-made, role-based solutions as well as enhanced intra- and inter-domain productivity.

In this launch, Accelrys is introducing over 15 enhanced or new products. Among the highlights are new functionality for molecular biologists, new science for computational chemists, and enhanced platform support. These new offerings put Accelrys on the trajectory to deliver integrated product and service solutions that provide customers with a wide choice of new and improved capabilities.

“The launch of this latest suite of products from Accelrys shows our commitment to delivering new science and tools to our clients, extending the broadest & deepest product portfolio in the industry” said Mark J. Emkjer, president and CEO of Accelrys. “By taking our point-products and identifying toolsets that can enable scientists and engineers in various disciplines, we aim to deliver solutions that address the priority requirements for our clients.”

Extending Discovery Studio

Accelrys continues to invest in its Discovery Studio (DS) line of products for life science research. This launch includes the latest release of DS GCG-a package of over 100 powerful sequence analysis tools for bioinformaticians. Also included is DS MedChem Explorer, a tool for designing and optimizing lead compounds at the desktop that has now been enhanced with new ADME/Tox models and support for Linux. DS ViewerPro, which provides desktop access to tools for generating, sharing, and analyzing high quality molecular information, now includes a 2D viewing option, as well as an automatic field fitting option for easier superimposition of molecules. DS Accord for Excel, an Excel spreadsheet that allows display and calculation of chemical information, can now retrieve data from Oracle-based Accord Enterprise Informatics products through a simple-to-use data analysis wizard.

Enhanced Linux Offerings

QUANTA, Accelrys’ leading software environment for X-ray crystallographers also features a Linux port and certification on IBM Thinkpads and IntelliStations running Red Hat Linux. Additionally, a number of new methods and algorithms have been added, including an automated model re-building method that substantially reduces model re-building time.

Insight II, a molecular modeling and simulation environment for protein modelers, computational chemists and structural biologists now allows seamless integration between Linux and IRIX. Insight II is also certified and optimized on IBM IntelliStations running Red Hat Linux. New science in Insight II includes a new protein-protein docking program called ZDOCKpro.

Improved Chemistry

For chemists and screening biologists, Accord Enterprise Informatics (AEI) provides a robust solution for storing and managing drug discovery data. AEI now incorporates a new version of the Accord Chemistry Engine, which includes new calculators, Markush support, and enhanced stereochemistry support.

New for Materials Science

Materials Studio (MS) Modeling, Accelrys’ suite of modeling and simulation products for computational researchers in chemicals and materials R&D, has a number of important new features and upgrades. New functionality is available for polymer chemists in the form of Blends - which allows calculation of miscibility for binary polymer and solvent systems. MS Modeling now features the first of set of tools derived for the current Accelrys Nanotechnology Consortium, including nano-builders. Platform support has been added for HP Cluster Platform 4000 based on AMD Opteron, HP Cluster Platform 3000 based on Intel Xeon, and the Cluster Platform 6000 based on Intel Itanium 2 processors.

More Information

For full details on all the enhancements and new products available, please see http://www.accelrys.com/info/launch/

About Accelrys

Accelrys, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACCL - News) is a leading provider of software for computation, simulation, and the management and mining of scientific data used by biologists, chemists and materials scientists, including nanotechnology researchers, for product design as well as drug discovery and development. Accelrys technology and services are designed to meet the needs of today’s leading research organizations. The Company is headquartered in San Diego, California. For more information about Accelrys, visit its website at http://www.accelrys.com/.

This press release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “Act”). Such forward looking statements, including statements regarding the future success of Accelrys products launched in 2005 and of its open integration platform, are subject to risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the risk that the platform or products will not be successfully completed or achieve market acceptance, and other risks and uncertainties described in documents Accelrys has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent report on Form 10-Q. All forward-looking statements in this document are qualified entirely by the cautionary statements included in this document and such filings. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from results expressed or implied by forward-looking statements contained in this document. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this document. Accelrys claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Act, and disclaims any intent or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in its expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
Contact:

Accelrys
Ian Clements, 858-799-5440
iclements@accelrys.com

Source: Accelrys

SAN DIEGO, May 02, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Maxim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:MAXM)(SSE:MAXM) today announced results for the quarter ended March 31, 2005, the second quarter of its fiscal year. The net loss applicable to common stock for the quarter totaled $6.6 million or $0.23 per share, compared to a net loss applicable to common stock of $8.9 million or $0.32 per share, for the prior-year quarter.

The net loss applicable to common stock for the six months ended March 31, 2005 totaled $16.2 million or $0.57 per share, compared to a net loss applicable to common stock of $18.8 million or $0.67 per share for the same period in the prior year. The decrease in the net loss for the period resulted primarily from a decrease in Research and Development expense resulting from the wind-down of the Company’s Ceplene(TM) clinical trials and a reduction in expenses resulting from the October 2004 and February 2005 work force reductions.

The Company had cash, cash equivalents and investments totaling $32.6 million at March 31, 2005. Maxim used net cash of $7.3 million in its operations during the quarter ended March 31, 2005.

“During the quarter we further realigned our resources with our corporate objectives,” said John D. Prunty, Maxim’s Chief Financial Officer. “Our apoptosis modulator platform continues to progress and we were pleased to recently announce the achievement of a $1.0 million development milestone under an agreement with Myriad Genetics based on the dosing of the first patient in a Phase 1 clinical program. We also continue to work with Piper Jaffray & Co. to identify and evaluate our strategic options.”

Maxim Overview

Maxim Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing innovative cancer therapeutics. Maxim’s lead drug candidate is Ceplene(TM) (histamine dihydrochloride), which has shown a statistically significant improvement in leukemia free survival in a Phase 3 clinical trial as a remission maintenance therapy for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Maxim is currently seeking a strategic partnership to complete commercialization and further development of Ceplene in AML and other indications. Maxim is also discovering and developing small-molecule apoptosis inducers to treat cancer using its proprietary high-throughput screening technology and its chemical genetics approach. This program has identified four lead oncology candidates that are proceeding to clinical trials independently and through collaborations.

Apoptosis compounds and Ceplene are investigational drugs and have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or any international regulatory agency.

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements include statements regarding attempts to identify new strategic opportunities which may include a strategic transaction, the efficacy, safety and intended utilization of the Company’s apoptosis compounds and Ceplene, the conduct and results of the Company’s clinical trials, and the Company’s plans regarding regulatory filings, future research and clinical trials and plans regarding partnering activities. Such statements are only predictions and the Company’s actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such differences include the risk that the Company may not be able to identify acceptable strategic opportunities or conclude any strategic transaction which it does identify, the risks associated with the Company’s diminishing cash resources and reliance on outside financing to meet is capital requirements, the risk that products that appeared promising in early research and clinical trials do not demonstrate safety or efficacy in larger-scale or later clinical trials, the risk that the Company will not obtain approval to market its products, and the risks associated with the Company’s reliance on collaborative partners for further clinical trials, development and commercialization of product candidates. These factors and others are more fully discussed in the Company’s periodic reports and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Note: The Maxim logo is a trademark of Maxim.

Editor’s Note: This release is also available on the Internet at http://www.maxim.com.

MAXIM PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

Products Address High-Throughput mRNA Purification for Gene Expression Analysis

Venlo, The Netherlands – May 2, 2005 - QIAGEN N.V. (NASDAQ: QGEN; Frankfurt, Prime Standard: QIA), the world’s leading provider of innovative enabling technologies and products for the separation, purification and handling of nucleic acids and proteins today announced the acquisition of the world-wide, exclusive rights and licenses to manufacture and market the complete portfolio of RNAture’s nucleic acid isolation products from Hitachi Chemical Research Center, Inc. RNAture, Inc., is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hitachi Chemical Research Center, Inc. Pursuant to the companies’ agreement Hitachi Chemical Research will transfer all current commercial operations to QIAGEN.

QIAGEN believes the RNAture product line and associated technology to be a natural extension of QIAGEN’s world leading technology portfolio for preanalytical sample preparation. QIAGEN today markets a broad portfolio of preanalytical solutions for RNA analysis and the RNAture product line addresses a unique segment of this large market. In combination with QIAGEN consumable and automation technologies, the RNAture solutions have the potential to provide a new dimension of value to QIAGEN customers in high-throughput gene expression analysis and siRNA in research and drug development. Financial details were not disclosed. QIAGEN does not expect a material change to its outlook for 2005 based on this transaction as the products are still in an early stage of introduction.

RNAture’s product portfolio focuses on mRNA isolation products and comprises solutions for rapid, efficient and specific capture of cellular poly(A)+ RNA in the wells of specially-treated microplates. The products for medium, high and ultra high-throughput demands are currently marketed under the brand name GenePlate®. GenePlate® employs a unique immobilization technology to coat surfaces with oligonucleotides which allow rapid and direct capturing of target mRNA. The direct selection of poly(A)+ RNA provides researchers with a more defined mRNA sample, which leads to improved sensitivity and reproducibility. The technology allows mRNA isolation, cDNA synthesis and PCR in the same well in three different formats: 8-well stripes, 96-well and 384-well plates. RNAture’s products provide an easy-to-use and cost effective method for direct mRNA isolation and cDNA synthesis in an automation-friendly design for simplify high-throughput target validation, gene-expression analysis and compound screening.

Gene Silencing, or RNA interference (RNAi) uses target-specific sequences of short interfering RNA molecules (siRNA molecules) to knock-down, or ’silence’ targeted genes to infer their function. RNAi is a developing technology used for target validation and compound screening in drug development as well as for studying gene expression analysis in academic and clinical research. The new product line based on RNAture’s purification technology for mRNA also is expected to seamlessly integrate into QIAGEN’s broad gene silencing product portfolio. The speed and ease-of-use of mRNA isolation with this technology makes it a perfect tool for simple and reproducible medium- to ultra high-throughput RNAi experiments.

‘We are very pleased to add an attractive platform technology for specific RNA molecule selection to our leading product portfolio in preanalytical sample management,’ said Dr. Ulrich Schriek, QIAGEN’s Vice President Corporate Business Development. ‘The technology is highly automation-friendly, minimizes well-to-well and plate-to-plate variability and standardizes the purification and assay procedure in these applications as preparation and assay are possible in the same plate.’

QIAGEN Group (Nasdaq: QGEN, Frankfurt: QIA)