Bio Screening Industry News

Boston, USA — April 25, 2008 — On Monday, April 28, CLC bio will officially unveil their new Next Generation Sequencing solution, CLC Genomics Workbench, the first comprehensive analysis package which can analyze and visualize data from all the major Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) platforms, such as SOLiD from Applied Biosystems, 454 GS flx from Roche Applied Science, Solexa from Illumina, and HeliScope from Helicos. The World Premiere is at the Bio-IT World Conference & Expo,April 28 - April 30, at the World Trade Center in Boston, USA.

Vice President of CLC bio, Jan Lomholdt, states, Having experienced massive pre-release interest from people within the Next Generation Sequencing segment, we’re confident that our cross-platform NGS solution which includes an intuitive graphical interface, numerous downstream analyses, and support for all the major NGS platforms, will become a hit. Especially when taking into consideration that we have assembled half a million 454 reads against the full E.coli reference genome, in around 2 minutes on a Dual-core laptop with 1 gigabyte RAM. In other words: This is FAST!”

“There is an explosion of interest in the next generation sequencing field right now, and I’m confident that CLC Genomics Workbench will become a valuable tool for the rapidly growing number of users in academia and industry who are using these new instruments for an amazing range of applications,” said Bio-IT World Editor-in-Chief Kevin Davies, PhD. “We’re also delighted that CLC bio has choosen this year’s Bio-IT World Expo in Boston to announce and introduce this product to the scientific and informatics communities.”

CLC Genomics Workbench includes accelerated assembly of Next Generation Sequencing data through use of High Performance Computing technology, making the assembly process very fast. The genomes to be assembled can be of any size, only limited by the number of gigabytes of RAM available on the computer running the assembly.

CLC Genomics Workbench takes full advantage of “paired end” data, and supports a number of features and work-tasks, such as reference assembly of genomes, De Novo assembly of genomes, SNP detection using advanced statistical models, Digital Gene Expression, metagenomics, clustering and assembly of EST and cDNA sequences, large amounts of genomics and transcriptomics downstream analyses, and workflow support. Some of the mentioned features will be implemented in future releases.

CLC Genomics Workbench has already been chosen as Next Generation Sequencing platform for all Danish universities. CLC bio will release CLC Genomics Workbench to the public in late May. To read more about CLC Genomics Workbench go to: www.clcbio.com/genomics

About CLC bio
CLC bio is the world’s leading full-service bioinformatics solution provider, solely focusing on the development of bioinformatics: software, hardware, data analysis, and custom-designed bioinformatics algorithms.

CLC bio’s mission is to be among the most innovative bioinformatics companies in the 21st century. This is realized through:

Development of bioinformatics software and hardware based on the latest scientific findings
User-friendly, integrated and intuitive cross-platform software solutions
Continuous focus on customer needs and superior customer service
Frequent product updates including the latest IT technologies and bioinformatics algorithms
A flexible IT architecture, enabling customers to buy or develop individualized solutions at a reasonable price

Copenhagen & Aarhus Denmark, March 11, 2007 — CLC bio and Department of Biology, Faculty of Science at University of Copenhagen, have signed a site license agreement for CLC bio’s premier bioinformatics software solution, CLC Combined Workbench, in combination with CLC bio’s Educational Suite. The deal runs for five years and is for several hundred seats, giving every researcher, student and teacher access to the software at all times.

The Head of Department of Biology at University of Copenhagen, Professor Dr. Lene Lange states,
‘We chose CLC bio as our solution provider as CLC Combined Workbench provides cutting edge algorithms and analyses of a high scientific standard, which is fundamental for our research. Also the wide range of tools available in this single application will eliminate a lot of tedious tasks, importing, exporting, and converting data between various applications - and thus help us improve our workflow, freeing up valuable time for research. We’re also looking forward to using CLC Educational Suite as a solid backbone for our bioinformatics courses.’

University of Copenhagen’s Department of Biology is organized in different Research Centers which are involved in international top tier research collaborations. They are funded from sources like the European Union and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, among others. The many projects range from retrieval of ancient DNA from fossils (Center for Ancient Genetics), bioinformatics, gene regulations and SNP (Cancer Research), complex dependent mutations, primates genome evolution (The Genomics Group), whole genome sequencing of hyperthermophilic archaea bacteria (Archaea Biology Group), muscle biology (Copenhagen Muscle Research Center) to studies of how climate changes affects distribution of life on Earth (Center for Macroecology).

CLC Combined Workbench is a comprehensive software solution for advanced DNA, RNA, and protein analyses, containing all features of CLC DNA Workbench, CLC RNA Workbench, and CLC Protein Workbench in one, integrated software package. The program will replace the whole range of outdated and expensive tools, which the research centers have been using previously. CLC Combined Workbench is available for Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux

About CLC bio
CLC bio is the world’s leading full-service bioinformatics solution provider, solely focusing on the development of bioinformatics: software, hardware, data analysis, and custom-designed bioinformatics algorithms.

CLC bio’s mission is to be among the most innovative bioinformatics companies in the 21st century. This is realized through:

Development of bioinformatics software and hardware based on the latest scientific findings
User-friendly, integrated and intuitive cross-platform software solutions
Continuous focus on customer needs and superior customer service
Frequent product updates including the latest IT technologies and bioinformatics algorithms
A flexible IT architecture, enabling customers to buy or develop individualized solutions at a reasonable price

Seaside Therapeutics announced today the award of a $4.5 million collaborative research contract to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to discover novel compounds to potentially suppress the manifestations of fragile X syndrome. Fragile X syndrome is the most common inherited disorder of brain development and the most common known genetic cause of autism. Individuals with fragile X can suffer from impaired cognitive function, developmental delay, attention deficit and hyperactivity, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive and autistic behaviors.Research conducted by Seaside founders and others in the field has indicated that excessive signaling through metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGluR5) may be responsible for the neurological and psychiatric consequences of fragile X syndrome. Seaside believes that selective inhibition of this receptor could potentially reduce or eliminate the devastating effects of fragile X syndrome.

Scientists at Vanderbilt, led by Dr. Jeffrey Conn, Director of the Vanderbilt Program in Drug Discovery, principal investigator of the fragile X project and a member of Seaside’s Scientific Advisory Board, have identified more than 400 novel compounds belonging to multiple chemical classes that inhibit mGluR5. With the support of the Seaside Therapeutics’ funding, Vanderbilt researchers will use medicinal chemistry, molecular biology, pharmacology, and efficacy studies to develop compounds that have the properties required for drugs to be used for further study in fragile X. Seaside Therapeutics will collaborate with Vanderbilt on this project by contributing scientific and drug development expertise, particularly as related to fragile X syndrome, autism and other disorders of brain development. Seaside will also select compounds from the collaboration to carry forward into clinical development.

“There are currently no effective treatments for fragile X syndrome,” said Dr. Randall Carpenter, Co-Founder, President and CEO of Seaside Therapeutics. “Seaside believes the best approach to identifying new treatments is to use our own research to discover and validate specific biological sites that play a role in fragile X, and then, either internally or in collaboration with others, develop therapeutics that modulate these biologic targets. We’re excited to work with the team at Vanderbilt given their expertise in drug discovery and, most importantly, because they share Seaside’s passion for helping children with fragile X—creating a strong partnership focused on rapidly translating new discoveries in neurobiology into desperately needed novel treatments.”

“Selectively inhibiting mGluR5 to treat fragile X is an innovative idea and, with continued success, has the potential to change the way people think about developmental disorders,” said Dr. Jeffrey Conn. “While we are at the very earliest stages in the drug discovery process, my team members and I are hopeful we can help advance research efforts in fragile X.”

About Fragile X

Fragile X syndrome is relatively rare, affecting approximately 90,000 people in the United States. It is caused by a mutation in the FMR1 gene on the X chromosome that prevents expression of a single protein, the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). The absence of FMRP gives rise to the major symptoms of fragile X syndrome in humans—impaired cognitive function, developmental delay, attention deficit and hyperactivity, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive and autistic behaviors. A key advance for understanding fragile X was identification of the FMR1 gene and subsequent generation of the Fmr1 knockout mouse—an animal model that lacks FMRP and mimics the human condition. By studying the brain of these mice, Seaside scientific founder Mark Bear, Ph.D., the Picower Professor of Neuroscience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Picower Center for Learning and Memory, discovered a connection between metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGluR5) signaling and fragile X syndrome. Metabotropic glutamate receptors are activated by the neurotransmitter glutamate. Studies by Bear and others indicate that excessive signaling through mGluR5 may be responsible for the neurologic and psychiatric consequences of fragile X syndrome, and suggest that selective mGluR5 inhibitors will provide therapeutic benefit to this population.

About Seaside Therapeutics

Seaside Therapeutics is creating new drug treatments to correct or improve the course of fragile X syndrome, autism and other disorders of brain development. We are dedicated to translating breakthrough discoveries in genetics and neurobiology into therapeutics that improve the lives of patients and their families.

About Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Vanderbilt Program in Drug Discovery

Vanderbilt University Medical Center is a major referral center for the Southeast and nation. It is made up of Vanderbilt University Hospital, The Vanderbilt Clinic, The Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Vanderbilt School of Medicine and Vanderbilt School of Nursing. VUMC is the largest private employer in the region, employing more than 10,000 employees and generating an annual regional economic impact of over $1 billion.

The primary mission of the Vanderbilt Program in Drug Discovery is to facilitate the application of chemical and other technologies to answer fundamental questions in the biological sciences that may ultimately lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies. Vanderbilt scientists led by Dr. Jeffrey Conn, Director of the Vanderbilt Program in Drug Discovery, have pioneered the discovery of “allosteric” compounds that modulate (“turn up” or “turn down”) the activation of certain receptors, called metabotropic glutamate receptors, when the neurotransmitter glutamate binds to them. Using Vanderbilt’s high-throughput screening facility, which is capable of testing tens of thousands of small molecules for drug-like activity in a single day, Dr. Conn and his colleagues have identified more than 400 compounds with mGluR5 inhibitory effects.

Increasingly, disease-causing microorganisms are being analysed on a genetic level in the hope of identifying critical factors that might be therapeutically applicable. European research in this area is being promoted under the roof of the ERA-NET PathoGenoMics network. During the 3rd European Conference on Procaryotic Genomics, held from 7 to 10 October in Göttingen, Germany, the network recognised three outstanding pathogenomic PhD theses. This year is the second time the prize has been awarded. The winners were selected from ten applications.

The ERA-NET PathoGenoMics was initiated in 2004 by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and is a network of 15 partners from Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Latvia, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain. Their aim is to promote genomic research on pathogenic microorganisms (pathogenomics) taking place in Europe. It was initiated in 2004 and is one of around 70 ERA-NET networks aimed at counteracting the fragmentation of the European Research Area. The ERA-NET scheme is a funding instrument of the European Commission, first introduced in the Sixth Framework Programme. The underlying intention is to step up the cooperation in research activities carried out at a national or regional level in the member states.

For the second time, the ERA-NET PathoGenoMics has recognised outstanding PhD theses in the field of pathogenomics research. The annual prize is endowed with 2000 Euros for each winner. This year, three reseachers have been chosen from a total of ten applications: Christel Archambaud (France), Cédric Delevoye (France) and Joâo Paulo dos Santos Gomes (Portugal). The official award ceremony took place during the 3rd European Conference on Procaryotic Genomics in Göttingen, Germany, on 8 October. Following an introduction by Nicole Firnberg (Austria), the winning researchers had the opportunity to present the results of their thesis. The researchers were later presented with their awards by the French scientist Philippe Glaser (Institute Pasteur, Paris): a large petri dish with synthetic resin as imitation agar, through which the official award certificate can be seen, as well as a hard copy of the certificate rolled in a volumetric flask.

Christel Archambaud from the Institut Pasteur in Paris has focused on the analysis of a special enzyme family involved in signal transduction (phosphatases) and its role in the pathogenicity of Listeria monocytogetes, which can cause a number of deadly infections due to its sophisticated survival and reproduction strategy once it has entered a host. In her PhD thesis, Archambaud has identified a functional phosphatase (Stp) that appears to be crucial for the virulence of Listeria.

Cédric Delevoye, working at the Institute Curie in Paris, has analysed the intracellular infection cycle of Chlamydia. Chlamydia is a sneaky bacterial genus that can only reproduce from within host cells and causes chronic infections that are extremely difficult or impossible to treat. In his PhD thesis, Delevoye focussed on identifying membrane proteins that are secreted by Chlamydia pneumoniae during infection. In addition, he functionally characterised a single protein from the IncA-family that appears to be essential for cellular membrane fusion events.

Joâo Paulo dos Santos Gomes, working at the National Institute of Health in Lisbon, studied biological and genetic features of Chlamydia trachomatis serological variants to reveal their different pathogenic potential. Dos Santos Gomes identified highly polymorphic so-called pmp genes as playing a significant role in infection and transmission ability based on transcriptomic and immunoactivity analysis. Furthermore, he found recombination among strains to be a mechanism for generating Chlamydia trachomatis diversity.

Research group leaders from the ERA-NET partner countries are now invited to submit a proposal for the PhD Award 2008. Deadline for submissions is the 28 February 2008.  For national contact details see www.pathogenomics-era.net

NEWARK, Del., Oct. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Strategic Diagnostics Inc. — today announced the launch of a new internet based catalog of antibody reagents in support of oncology-based research and discovery. These high-quality reagents have all been manufactured utilizing SDI’s proprietary Genomic Antibody Technology(TM) and will carry the SEQer(TM) brand. The catalog is available at http://antibodies.sdix.com online.

The catalog has launched with an initial offering of over 200 affinity purified antibody reagents. The Company will supplement this with up to an additional 25 new reagents each week as it strives to become recognized as the fastest-growing site of high quality, leading edge reagents for cancer research.

“Standard antibody production technologies have not changed in more than 20 years,” commented Matthew H. Knight, the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “The SEQer antibodies in this catalog represent a breakthrough in antibody production and deliver multiple high performance attributes that reduced time, effort and data variation in the laboratory. In addition, the process that produces these reagents is high throughput as evidenced by our initial commitment to add up to 25 new antibody reagents each week. As recognition of SEQer antibody performance grows, we intend to increase this rate.”

Mr. Knight continued, “The launch of the SEQer catalog is a direct response to market research highlighting how the Life Science industry and particularly proteomics research has been inhibited by to the lack of high quality antibody reagents. The National Cancer Institute convened the Proteomic Technologies Reagents Resource Workshop in December, 2005, to identify the cancer research community’s expressed needs for validated and well characterized affinity capture reagents, including antibodies, to advance proteomics research platforms for the prevention, early detection, treatment, and monitoring of cancer. Many of the available catalogs typically broker pre-made antibodies from multiple sources and fall well short of meeting the performance needs of today’s biomedical researchers. With the launch of the SEQer catalog, Strategic Diagnostics is taking the first step to address this research bottleneck and meet a surging demand. We expect to build the fastest-growing source of oncology-focused antibody reagents which represents a meaningful share of the highly fragmented, $800 million annual market for catalog reagents.”

Strategic Diagnostics’ Genomic Antibody Technology(TM) (GAT) platform

Genomic Antibody Technology(TM) is a proprietary technology developed by Strategic Diagnostics (SDI). This high throughput, sequence-based, in vivo production process creates high-quality poly- or monoclonal reagents used in the discovery of new diagnostic biomarkers, unraveling the underlying mechanisms of disease, and as the basis of potential monoclonal antibody therapeutics. These antibodies are produced in 76 days and early adopters have tracked a first-time success rate in excess of 80%. SDI’s proprietary protein analysis software selects the optimal sequence associated with the specific protein or protein region the researcher wants to target and/or avoid. GAT expresses protein in vivo, thus assuring that the antigen targets and fully engages the natural mammalian immune system. This enables the production of an antibody that reacts more often and with greater fidelity when compared to reagents produced through traditional methods.

The SEQer catalog of antibodies addresses a number of well-known challenges associated with currently available reagents. Specifically, deficiencies in the ability to replicate the three dimensional conformation of target proteins through synthetic immunogens have resulted in reagents that do not reliably recognize or differentiate their intended targets. This, in turn, limits reagent performance and creates a level of uncertainty regarding the data produced with traditionally produced reagents. The SEQer antibody is focused on addressing the loss of productivity in research and development endeavors.

“The performance of our SEQer antibodies has been demonstrated with our many private and public collaborators in numerous assays,” Mr. Knight said. “The programs have included significantly large screens for oncology markers and the ability to stain disease-associated proteins across thousands of clinical biopsy samples. More targeted studies have shown the ability to differentiate highly conserved proteins in cell sorting assays, the ability to react with traditionally elusive proteins of interest, and be directed through SDI’s design algorithms to target functional sites in monoclonal applications.”

SDI’s GAT-produced antibodies are significantly better than traditional protein/peptide-produced antibodies, as they are produced in vivo by the host animal’s natural immune system, and are therefore able to behave both chemically and mechanically as any naturally produced antibody would.

Oncology Focus

The SEQer oncology-focused portfolio is comprised of antibody tools that target proteins associated with cancer pathogenesis and progression, thereby succeeding in delivering usable data for more proteins and in more applications. SDI strategically focused on the area of oncology, as more than half of NIH-funded research and the majority of proteomic efforts are currently focused on cancer research.

“SDI is focused on the oncology segment of life science research and is committed to creating industry leading solutions for oncology research,” Mr. Knight added. “This initial offering is a powerful step in that direction. As we expand this catalog, it will become the premier site for new and important antibody reagents for cancer research.”

About Strategic Diagnostics, Inc.

Strategic Diagnostics Inc. develops, manufactures and markets biotechnology-based detection solutions to a diverse customer base, across multiple industrial and human health markets. By applying its core competency of creating custom antibodies to assay development, the Company produces unique, sophisticated diagnostic testing and reagent systems that are responsive to customer diagnostic and information needs. Customers benefit with quantifiable “return on investment” by reducing time, labor, and/or material costs. All this is accomplished while increasing accuracy, reliability and actionability of essential test results. The Company is focused on sustaining this competitive advantage by leveraging its expertise in immunology, proteomics, bio-luminescence and other bio-reactive technologies to continue its successful customer-focused research and development efforts. Recent innovations in high throughput production of antibodies from genetic antigens will complement the Company’s established leadership in commercial and custom antibody production for the Research, Human/Animal Diagnostics, and Pharmaceutical industries, and position the Company for broader participation in the pharmacogenomics market.

This news release contains forward-looking statements reflecting SDI’s current expectations. When used in this press release, the words “anticipate”, “could”, “enable”, “estimate”, “intend”, “expect”, “believe”, “potential”, “will”, “should”, “project” “plan” and similar expressions as they relate to SDI are intended to identify said forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ from those anticipated by SDI at this time. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, changes in demand for products, delays in product development, delays in market acceptance of new products, retention of customers and employees, adequate supply of raw materials, the successful integration and consolidation of the Maine production facilities, inability to obtain or delays in obtaining fourth party, including AOAC, or required government approvals, the ability to meet increased market demand, competition, protection of intellectual property, non-infringement of intellectual property, seasonality, and other factors more fully described in SDI’s public filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Network of Excellence EuroPathoGenomics has undergone its first review

Researchers have long been fascinated by microorganisms, as they can be both useful inhabitants of the body and dangerous pathogens. In 2005, to better understand this dual role, 37 researcher teams from 13 different European countries founded the Network of Excellence EuroPathoGenomics (NoE EPG). The members have now adopted a common Research Agenda for the field of pathogenomics, which lays out the core scientific challenges for the years to come and places emphasis on two aims in particular: In future, scientists intend to focus more on the interaction between the pathogens and the hosts, rather than exclusively analysing disease-causing microorganisms in isolation. Furthermore, the microbiologists’ aim is to strengthen cooperation with bioinformatic experts, in order to better manage the multitude of data that is produced in modern genomic research.

For decades, researchers have concentrated on the microorganisms that cause diseases. More recently however, thanks to the tools of modern genomics, they have been able to focus in detail on the molecular mechanisms behind the pathogens. To bundle European competencies in the field of pathogenomics and to strengthen the exchange of experiences, a total of 37 scientific laboratories from 13 different countries came together in 2005 under the umbrella of the European Network of Excellence EuroPathoGenomics NoE EPG. This initiative is being funded by the European Commission with 6.7 millions euros over five years. At the end of April, at a meeting in the Villa Vigoni in Italy, members undertook a first review of their cooperation. “Over the course of the previous years, we have focused mainly on establishing efficient infrastructures and making them available for all partners”, said Prof. Jörg Hacker from the University of Würzburg, who is coordinating the network. In particular, a central virtual cell strain collection has been completed, which allows for the rapid searching of suitable data. Furthermore, the “EuroPathoGenomics Graduate Academy” (EGA) has also been established, with more than 50 students participating in a number of training programmes.

In the future, NoE EPG-members intend to concentrate more on the strategic adjustment of their work with the aim of improving the coordination of research across the participating countries. In Italy, the network partners therefore adopted the first structure of a common European research agenda, which describes the most important challenges in pathogenomics that the scientists will be facing in the coming years. “In the long run, we have to focus more on analysing the interaction of the pathogens with the host as well as shedding light on the complex interplay between different microorganisms that are active at the same time”, said Hacker. Furthermore, in their daily work, the pathogenomics experts are confronted with the enormous quantity of data that results from genomic research. The scientists want to address this problem with the development of new bioinformatic approaches, which could particularly advance the comparison of different pathogenic genomes. “We have to use comparative genomics to discover both the molecular determinants that cause hospital infections and the factors that are responsible for the drug-resistance of pathogens”, said Mike Gilmore, Harvard Medical School, USA, at the meeting. Another goal of the agenda is better cooperation between basic scientists and clinicians. “Our scientific language is not well understood by clinicians. We should learn more from each other”, emphasised the German researcher Werner Goebel from the University of Würzburg,during the meeting in Italy.

More information: www.noe-epg.uni-wuerzburg.de

Beltsville, MD, May 7, 2007 – BioServe today strengthened its senior management team with the appointment of Kevin Krenitsky, M.D. as Chief Executive Officer.  Krenitsky is a highly respected 15-year veteran of the life sciences industry, bringing a wealth of experience in building and managing global biotechnology operations.

“Kevin’s impressive range of experience in diagnostics, pre-clinical and clinical pharma, along with his in depth knowledge of our recently acquired Genomics Collaborative bio-banking business makes him the perfect fit to lead BioServe into the future,” said Rama Modali, Founder and President, BioServe. “Kevin’s operational experience along with his successful experience in launching new products and service offerings will be instrumental in growing BioServe’s global business. We are pleased that Kevin has joined BioServe and look forward to his contributions to the team.”

Prior to joining BioServe, Dr. Krenitsky was the Chief Executive Officer of Parkway Clinical Laboratories, a clinical diagnostic lab providing comprehensive routine and esoteric testing.  Prior to that he served as Senior Vice President and Division Head at SeraCare Life Sciences’ Genomics Collaborative Division (GCI) where he managed all worldwide pharmaceutical R&D collaborations.  Before GCI was acquired by Seracare Life Sciences, Dr. Krenitsky acted as the company’s Medical Director responsible for spearheading the development of GCI’s global network of five hundred-plus clinical sites on four continents. During his tenure at GCI, Dr. Krenitsky was instrumental in developing several hundred agreements with dozens of major pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and diagnostic companies worldwide. Dr Krenitsky received his M.D. from Jefferson Medical College.

Dr. Krenitsky commented, “I am extremely excited to join BioServe, a company that has forged a stellar reputation for genomic analysis among many of the world’s leading researchers. With the addition of the Genomics Collaborative bio-bank to the company’s comprehensive services, BioServe is on track to become the leader in helping researchers discover and validate a new generation of superior diagnostic and therapeutic targets.”

About BioServe

BioServe provides a comprehensive ‘biomaterial to validated data’ genomics services platform, helping researchers gain the pre-clinical data for breakthroughs in drug discovery, molecular diagnostics and pharmacogenomics. Utilizing BioServe’s genomics services platform, researchers can identify genetic markers, validate drug targets that cause disease and correlate clinical data with molecular data to accelerate the development of new and safer drugs. BioServe’s services extend from nucleic acids processing, DNA synthesis, high throughput sequencing and genotyping, genome wide-scans and gene expression analyses to ready-made large epidemiologically sound case-control studies of inflammatory disorders, endocrine disorders, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity and many cancers.  BioServe’s Global Repository® provides researchers with a library of 600,000 human DNA, tissue and serum samples linked to detailed clinical and demographic data from 140,000 consented and anonymized patients from four continents. BioServe’s customers include leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and government and academic research institutions. BioServe has headquarters in Beltsville, MD and Hyderabad, India. For more information please visit www.bioserve.com or call 301-470-3362.

BioServe Extends Genomics Services Platform with Premier Industrial Biobank for Biomarker Discovery and Validation

Beltsville, MD, May 1st, 2007 – BioServe, a leading provider of genomics services, today announced that it has acquired Genomics Collaborative from SeraCare Life Sciences, Inc. Genomics Collaborative is a leader in facilitating biomarker discovery and validation through its Global Repository®, a comprehensive library of 600,000 human DNA, tissue and serum samples linked to detailed clinical and demographic data from 140,000 consented and anonymized patients collected on four continents.

Through this acquisition BioServe significantly expands its pre-clinical product and service capabilities to provide organizations engaged in drug discovery and diagnostic development with a comprehensive “biomaterial to validated data” services platform. This service platform extends from molecular research products and services such as DNA and RNA purification reagents, DNA sequencing, oligonucleotide synthesis and genotyping to ready-made large epidemiologically sound case-control studies of inflammatory disorders, endocrine disorders, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity and cancers including breast, prostate, lung and colorectal.

“The acquisition of Genomics Collaborative firmly positions BioServe as a preferred partner for pre-clinical discovery and validation studies. Working with BioServe, drug discovery researchers have the flexibility to tap the Bio Repository to augment their in house sample sets, design entire genomic studies around our sample library, and further benefit from BioServe’s proven ability to process and analyze vast quantities of genomic content,” said Rama Modali, President, BioServe. “BioServe’s complete biomaterial to validated data approach will help researchers identify the genetics markers, biochemical pathways and drug targets that cause disease to accelerate the development of new and safer drugs.”

BioServe will continue to offer the GCI Access program™, which allows researchers around the world to access human DNA, RNA, serum and tissue samples with comprehensive informed consent and detailed clinical data, on a fee for service basis.

Genomics Collaborative will operate as a fully integrated division of BioServe, offering its DNA, tissue and serum Global Repository® samples to BioServe’s customers worldwide. The Genomics Collaborative clinical team, led by Vice President of Medical Affairs, George Taylor MD, has joined BioServe and will further add to the company’s expertise in genomics, epidemiology, biostatistics and molecular biology.

BioServe will be exhibiting at the BIO 2007 International Annual Convention as part of the State of Maryland pavilion.

About BioServe

BioServe provides a comprehensive ‘biomaterial to validated data’ genomics services platform, helping researchers gain the pre-clinical data for breakthroughs in drug discovery, molecular diagnostics and pharmacogenomics. Utilizing BioServe’s genomics services platform, researchers can identify genetic markers, validate drug targets that cause disease and correlate clinical data with molecular data to accelerate the development of new and safer drugs. BioServe’s services extend from nucleic acids processing, DNA synthesis, high throughput sequencing and genotyping, genome wide-scans and gene expression analyses to ready-made large epidemiologically sound case-control studies of inflammatory disorders, endocrine disorders, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity and many cancers. BioServe’s Global Repository® provides researchers with a library of 600,000 human DNA, tissue and serum samples linked to detailed clinical and demographic data from 140,000 consented and anonymized patients from four continents. BioServe’s customers include leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and government and academic research institutions. BioServe has headquarters in Beltsville, MD and Hyderabad, India. For more information please visit www.bioserve.com or call 301-470-3362.