ACLARA BioSciences and PE Biosystems Offer Early Access Program for nMAS High Throughput Screening System.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--Sept. 13, 1999--

New nanovolume Microfluidic Assay and Screening System

Available Through Consortium Membership

PE Biosystems and ACLARA BioSciences, Inc., announce an early access program for the nMAS system, a novel high throughput screening platform enabling sub-microliter assays.

The system includes disposable plastic LabCard(TM) microfluidic devices and the nMAS system instrument. Consortium members will participate in developing final system specifications and will have a period of exclusivity.

Lead discovery groups must shorten the time from target selection to lead identification while increasing throughput and decreasing costs. Miniaturization is the primary strategy for reducing reagent consumption, and microfluidic systems provide the next level of miniaturization.

"With the pressing need to miniaturize, the consortium is the fastest way to secure user input and deliver a fully supported system," according to Joseph Limber, president of ACLARA. "And our partnership with PE Biosystems brings established expertise in instrument, reagent and software development and manufacturing, plus worldwide distribution, service and technical support."

The nMAS system provides sub-microliter assays with the sensitivity, signal-to-noise and reproducibility required for lead discovery screening. This performance stems from the physical separation of specific fluorescence -- that associated with bound ligand, enzyme product or bound antibody -- from the large excess of nonspecific signal. Using fast (seconds) electrophoresis within the LabCard(TM) device, separation and quantification take place without intervention by the screener, creating a 'virtual homogeneous' assay.

"We explored a range of microfluidic technologies and developed prototype systems," explains Michael Hunkapiller, Ph.D., president of PE Biosystems. "We then concluded that the disposable plastic LabCard(TM) device is the best proprietary platform for a diverse range of sub-microliter assays.

"And ACLARA's intellectual property and microfluidics expertise are critical for achieving our goals of reducing assay costs while accelerating lead discovery. The nMAS system continues PE Biosystems' commitment to providing innovative systems for drug discovery. It complements our recently introduced FMAT(TM) 8100 HTS System and the NorthStar(TM) HTS System for high throughput screening," Dr. Hunkapiller adds.

The nMAS system accelerates lead discovery by smoothing the transition from assay development to automated screening, since the LabCard(TM) device performs both steps. With the high resolution of capillary electrophoresis and the wide variety of commercially available reagents, assay development is fast and simple, further shortening lead discovery time. Expensive, proprietary reagents are unnecessary and internal standards enhance reproducibility.

The LabCard(TM) device is compatible with existing plate and liquid handling robotics. Targets, reagents and test compounds are simply pipetted into the LabCard(TM) device as if it were a microwell plate. Then the LabCard(TM) device is transferred to the nMAS system instrument, which automatically conducts and reads the assays.

ACLARA BioSciences, a privately held company with established microfabrication and microfluidic technologies, provides new tools for genomics and drug discovery. By performing integrated sample processing and analysis, the company's LabCard(TM) device enables rapid, parallel processing of large numbers of samples while requiring only minute volumes of expensive or rare reagents. Company information is available at www.aclara.com or 650/210-1200.

PE Corporation currently comprises two operating groups. The PE Biosystems Group (NYSE:PEB), with sales of $1.1 billion during fiscal 1999, develops and markets instrument-based systems, reagents, software, and contract related services to the life science industry and research community.

PE Biosystems, which is headquartered in California, includes four divisions: Applied Biosystems, PE Informatics, PerSeptive Biosystems, and Tropix. Celera Genomics Group (NYSE:CRA), a newly formed business unit located in Maryland, intends to become the definitive source of genomic and related medical information. Information about the company is available on the World Wide Web at www.pe-corp.com or by phoning 800/762-6923.

Note to Editors: FMAT, PE and PE Biosystems are trademarks of PE Corporation or its subsidiaries. NorthStar is a trademark of Tropix, Inc. in the U.S. and certain other countries.

LabCard is a trademark of ACLARA Biosciences, Inc.