Caliper Technologies Awarded Grant From the National Cancer Institute to Support Discovery of Anti-Cancer Therapies.

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--Sept. 23, 1998--Caliper Technologies Corp. announced today that it received a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to develop high throughput laboratory-on-a-chip screening assays on Caliper's LabChip(TM) platform to discover potential anti-cancer agents.

The grant, titled "Kinase Assays For Ultra High Throughput Drug Screening" is targeted at developing ultra high throughput screening assays against a class of biological targets -- called protein kinases -- involved in the onset and progression of major cancers.

Protein kinases are key regulators of cellular functions, being involved in signal transduction, the process whereby information is transmitted into a cell and its nucleus that permits it to participate in the dynamic life of a higher organism. Aberrations in these cell signaling pathways are implicated in the development of many diseases, including cancer. Of the numerous oncogenes (cancer-related genes) identified to date, many appear to be abnormal versions of signaling pathway components, such as protein kinases.

Under the grant, Caliper will utilize its proprietary LabChip(TM) discovery platform to develop protein kinase assays for the purpose of screening large chemical libraries. The LabChip(TM) platform offers several major advantages over existing high throughput platforms. First, hundreds of thousands of samples can be processed per day.

Second, the system requires as much as a millionfold less reagents, dramatically reducing costs and enabling the screening of difficult-to-isolate targets. Finally the data obtained is more accurate and informative than is obtained with traditional high throughput systems. These advantages allow scientists to use screening much earlier in the drug discovery process and with much greater confidence in the results.

"This grant from the NCI recognizes the importance of our lab-on-a-chip technologies for the drug discovery arena," said Dr. Michael Knapp, vice president of science and technology of Caliper. "It also represents an early example of how we plan to be a power user of the most sophisticated versions of our technology. These important tools will be available to pharmaceutical or biotechnology customers through our screening Technology Access Program."

Caliper Technologies designs and manufacturers LabChips(TM) and LabChip(TM) systems that enable high-throughput experimentation and information access for faster drug discovery, improved medical treatment, and more accurate and cost-effective biological and genetic research.

Caliper's microfluidic LabChips(TM) process fluid like semiconductors process electrons, executing biological tests in seconds. Experimental data, in digital form, can be stored in databases, accessed via networks and shared by researchers. With its ability to accelerate experimentation and expand access to information, Caliper's LabChip(TM) technology is dramatically changing the fundamental processes of research, discovery and diagnosis.

Since its incorporation in 1995, Caliper has forged major strategic partnerships and expanded its intellectual property portfolio to become a leader in Lab-on-a-Chip technology. Caliper is commercializing its proprietary LabChip(TM) products through strategic relationships that include Hewlett-Packard, Hoffmann-La Roche and Dow Chemical.

Information about Caliper's products and services can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.calipertech.com. LabChip(TM) is a registered trademark of Caliper Technologies Corp. of Palo Alto.

Note to Editors: LabChip is a registered trademark of Caliper Technologies Corp. of Palo Alto.