Argonaut Technologies Introduces Powerful Automated Synthesizer for Solid Phase Organic Chemistry.

SAN CARLOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 20, 1996--Argonaut Technologies, Inc. today introduced the Nautilus(TM) 2400, the first instrument to automate organic chemical synthesis within a fully inert, temperature-controlled environment.

The Nautilus will be unveiled this week at the IBC International Exposition and Symposium on Drug Discovery Technology in Boston, and at next week's American Chemical Society meeting in Orlando, Fla.

"The Nautilus 2400 provides chemists with a power tool to increase their productivity in every area from developing reactions to optimizing leads, to re-synthesizing archivable amounts of compounds," said Joel F. Martin, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Argonaut. "From its inception, we developed this instrument through a close collaboration between chemists and engineers to meet the exacting specifications of medicinal chemists."

A consortium of leading pharmaceutical companies provided drug discovery expertise that complemented Argonaut's own chemistry and engineering team.

The Nautilus 2400 automates solid-phase organic synthesis using non-robotic technologies that allow for continuous, unattended operation. The system offers 24 independent glass reaction vessels whose temperatures can be individually regulated from -40 to 150 degrees C using a precise digital control system. Reaction vessels are available in two sizes allowing for product yields ranging from 30 mg to 200 mg.

Fluid delivery takes place in a closed, inert environment, under nitrogen or argon gas. Reagents and solvents can be delivered from up to 192 different reservoirs; flow of fluid is regulated by proprietary valving technology, and volumes ranging from 50 microliters to 5.8 milliliters are measured using an accurate and sensitive integrated sensor system. A computer-controlled system provides gentle, rocking agitation of the reaction vessels, ensuring efficient, complete mixing of reagents and resins for high, reproducible yields.

Operation of the Nautilus system is via easy-to-use software, and all instrument control information is contained in a Microsoft Access(R) database that allows users to enhance and modify many aspects of the software to their own specifications, as well as interface to other databases.

"The Nautilus 2400 follows the steps that a chemist would use to synthesize new compounds manually," said Paul van Eikeren, Ph.D., vice president of chemistry at Argonaut Technologies, Inc. "To design a synthesis using the instrument, he or she simply specifies the chemical to be added, where it should go, and how it should be mixed and heated -- the software follows the steps that the chemist would use at the bench. Nautilus does the detail work by calculating for the chemist the reagent requirements, verifying that the vessels are loaded, and monitoring the reaction's progress. It lets the chemist focus on chemistry, instead of on the instrument."

To further enhance productivity, Argonaut also offers its ArgoGel(TM) resins for use with the Nautilus. First introduced in May 1996, ArgoGel resins are based on a proprietary technology developed by Argonaut that includes a new polyethylene glycol-polystyrene graft (PEG/PS) co-polymer. This structure yields resins with higher loading capacity and lower levels of impurities than conventional resins, as well as compatibility with a broad range of organic and aqueous reagents and solvents.

Argonaut Technologies, founded in September 1994, is a developer and marketer of proprietary instrumentation, reagents and consumable products that facilitate the simultaneous synthesis of multiple organic molecules. Argonaut's products are "Power Tools for Chemists"(TM) that take advantage of new technology to automate heretofore manual processes such as mixing, heating and cooling, and addition of chemicals.

The company's products marry advances in fluid delivery, materials science, machining and computers with the science of solid phase chemistry to enable the parallel synthesis and subsequent purification of large numbers of chemical compounds.

CONTACT: Argonaut Technologies, Inc.

Bert Rietveld, 415/598-1350 ext. 245 (VP of marketing)

Elizabeth Mitchell, 415/598-1350 ext. 200

or

J. Kureczka Associates

Joan Kureczka, 415/821-2413