BioSeek Initiates Research Collaboration With Lexicon Pharmaceuticals.

BURLINGAME, Calif. -- BioSeek, Inc., a pioneer in applying predictive human biology systems to drug discovery and development, announced today the initiation of a research collaboration with Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Under the agreement, BioSeek's BioMAP[R] Systems will be used to help further evaluate selected compounds associated with several of Lexicon's drug discovery programs.

"This research collaboration with Lexicon leverages the power of our BioMAP Systems to speed the characterization of targets identified by genomic approaches and the discovery of drugs to modulate them," said Michael C. Venuti, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of BioSeek. "By providing predictive preclinical human data on the pharmacological properties of Lexicon's compounds, the BioMAP platform can help to discern the relevant physiologic pathway impacted by the compounds and identify appropriate cellular assays for their further optimization."

BioMAP Systems are a series of human primary cell-based assay systems designed to replicate the intricate cell and pathway interactions present in human disease biology. To date, BioSeek has developed systems for indications in vascular inflammation, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, fibrosis and related conditions. Depending on their mechanism of action, compounds induce specific patterns of changes in these systems (BioMAP profiles) that can be compared to a large number of reference profiles in BioSeek's database. BioMAP profiling provides early insight into human pharmacological properties of compounds, including in-depth characterization of biological drug function, on- and off-target activities, dose responses and biomarker identification.

About BioSeek

BioSeek is improving the success rate of pharmaceutical research and development by integrating human biology from the earliest stages of drug discovery onward. The Company's BioMAP([R]) Systems incorporate predictive primary human cell-based disease models that generate uniquely informative activity profiles of each potential drug, assisting in the selection and development of new drug candidates. BioSeek is leveraging BioMAP([R]) Systems technology in collaborations to enhance the productivity of its pharmaceutical partners' pipelines, and in the Company's internal discovery programs. For more information, go to www.bioseekinc.com.