HP Launches the First Product Based on "Lab-on-a-Chip" Technology.

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 15, 1999--

Hewlett-Packard Company today introduced the HP 2100 bioanalyzer for the integrated analysis of nucleic acids. This is the first commercially available product utilizing lab-on-a-chip technology.

Based on Caliper Technologies' LabChip(TM) technology, the system marks a major step toward the development of a completely automated microscale laboratory. In this "lab-on-a-chip," all sample preparation, fluid handling and biochemical analysis steps will be carried out within the confines of a microchip. The chips comprise microchannels fabricated in glass, plastic or other substrates that create interconnected networks of fluid reservoirs and pathways.

Used together with various LabChip kits, the HP 2100 bioanalyzer improves the quality of nucleic acid analysis by integrating sample handling, separation, detection and digital data processing within a single, compact system architecture. The system is designed for use by molecular biologists and biochemists working with polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) products, restriction enzyme digests or ribonucleic acid (RNA) preparations.

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     Implications for Life-science Research

     Researchers in the areas of disease and drug discovery still
experience manual-processing bottlenecks during the analysis of
nucleic acids. LabChip technology offers many benefits over existing
manual gel electrophoresis products:

--   Improved Accuracy -- The integrated, miniaturized chip design
     drastically cuts system-retention and material-transfer losses,
     improving accuracy and reducing sample consumption.

--   Rapid Analysis -- Miniaturized fluid pathways, based on
     microchannels microns in size, dramatically shorten run times.
     Each nucleic acid sample is analyzed in approximately 90 seconds.

--   Enhanced Reproducibility -- State-of-the-art fabrication
     processes yield chips that perform more reproducibly than
     conventional gel products. Automated fluid handling, using
     standardized experimental protocols, further enhances
     performance.

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Initial Applications

The HP 2100 bioanalyzer is offered with three introductory assays. Each assay is packaged as a complete, ready-to-use kit:

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--   DNA 7500 LabChip kit for accurate sizing and quantitation of DNA
     fragments ranging in size from 100bp to 7,500bp;

--   NA 12000 LabChip kit for accurate sizing of DNA\ fragments from
     100bp to 12,000bp; and

--   RNA 6000 LabChip kit for the analysis and quantitation of total
     RNA and mRNA samples.

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Pricing and Availability

The HP 2100 bioanalyzer is initially available in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. It can be ordered directly through HP chemical-analysis-products sales offices in each of the selected countries. The price of the complete system is $18,800, and delivery is estimated at six weeks from receipt of order. The system is expected to be available in additional European countries and Japan within the next year.

About HP's Chemical Analysis Group

HP's Chemical Analysis Group, with headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif., is a leading provider of chemical analysis measurement and information solutions, services and support, columns and supplies to scientific laboratories in industry, government and academia. The group has 3,789 employees worldwide and had revenues of $946 million in its 1998 fiscal year.

Information about LabChip products, can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com/go/labonachip.

About HP

Hewlett-Packard Company -- a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services for business and home -- is focused on capitalizing on the opportunities of the Internet and the proliferation of electronic services.

HP plans to launch Agilent Technologies as an independent company by mid-calendar 2000. Agilent consists of HP's test and measurement, semiconductor products, chemical analysis and healthcare solutions businesses, and has leading positions in multiple market segments.

HP has 123,500 employees worldwide and had total revenue of $47.1 billion in its 1998 fiscal year. Information about HP, its products and the company's Year 2000 program can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.

Note to Editors: LabChip and the LabChip logo are U.S. trademarks of Caliper Technologies Corporation.

Sales information may be obtained by calling a Hewlett-Packard Company sales office listed in the telephone directory white pages. Please do NOT use editor-contact or corporate telephone numbers.

Information in this release applies specifically to products available in the United States. Product availability and specifications may vary in non-U.S. markets.

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