HTS Biosystems Presented New Research on Next-Generation SPR Technology for Growing Proteomics Market.

Business Editors/Health & Medical Writers

BIOWIRE2K

HOPKINTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 6, 2003

HTS Biosystems--

Microarray-based System Designed to Enable High Throughput Kinetic
    Profiling of Biomolecular Interactions, as Presented by Leading
                 Researchers At The IBC Life Sciences
     13th Annual International Conference on Antibody Engineering

HTS Biosystems - a leading biotechnology company specializing in high-throughput bioanalytical systems for proteomics (the study of proteins) - announced that new research on its proprietary kinetic analysis technology was presented at the IBC Life Sciences 13th Annual International Conference on Antibody Engineering held December 1-4, 2002 in San Diego, CA.

HTS and Applied Biosystems Group (NYSE:ABI), an Applera Corporation business, are co-developing a next-generation microarray-based SPR (surface plasmon resonance) system that is designed to help researchers profile and characterize biomolecular interactions in a parallel format. Researchers demonstrated the system's high throughput capability to characterize binding kinetics for antibodies and other affinity molecules.

Collaborators from the University of Utah and Dyax Corporation shared data from their experiences with the new label-free system during two oral presentations at the recent meeting. Copies of their abstracts are available at: http://www.lifesciencesinfo.com/antibodyeng. IBC's International Conference on Antibody Engineering is one of the most respected and comprehensive sources for new research and therapeutic results in antibody engineering. Over 60 leading, internationally recognized scientific experts reported on their latest research during the meeting. Conference attendees also had the opportunity to preview the user interface behind HTS' and Applied Biosystems' new label-free SPR array technology at the Applied Biosystems booth.

Proteomics - An Emerging Field with Tremendous Promise

"Proteomics represents a rapidly emerging field with tremendous promise in disease detection and drug development. Next-generation protein array systems should have a significant impact on the ability to achieve characterization of molecular interactions at much faster speeds," said Enrico Picozza, co-founder and chief operating officer for HTS Biosystems. "We were very excited to participate with Applied Biosystems in this year's IBC antibody engineering conference, because it gave us the opportunity to showcase our joint progress in developing this new technology."

The study of proteins is an essential next step in the evolution of genetic-based drug discovery. Despite completing the human genome sequence, researchers need better data detailing about how proteins communicate with cells throughout the body, thereby effecting biological function and in some cases causing disease. Proteomics, the high-throughput study of proteins, is one of the fastest growing market segments in drug discovery and is expected to be a primary focus of biological research in the 21st century. According to Frost & Sullivan, the worldwide proteomics market is projected to grow from an estimated $2.4 billion in 2002 to $5.8 billion by 2005, representing a compound annual growth rate of 34 percent.

Early Access Users Discuss Experiences with Array-Based SPR

Technology

At this year's IBC antibody engineering meeting, Dr. David Myszka, Center for Biomolecular Interaction Analysis, University of Utah, highlighted key research progress during his oral presentation on "Affinity Biosensing to the nth Degree." Dr. Myszka is an early access user of HTS' next-generation SPR technology. According to Dr. Myszka, the array-based SPR biosensor system has permitted label-free characterization of hundreds of spots simultaneously. The study concluded that the binding responses from the system are reproducible and of high enough quality to support global analysis of multiple concentrations and surface densities.

Dr. Dan Sexton, investigator, Dyax Corporation, also spoke at the conference in a presentation entitled "A Microarray-Based Surface Plasmon Resonance Method for the Rapid Determination of Phage Display Derived Human Antibody Dissociation Constants." Dr. Sexton addressed his experience using an early version of HTS' microarray-based SPR technology to improve secondary antibody screening processes. With the promise of providing high throughput kinetic data in a screening assay setting, Dr. Sexton concluded that this new system should further increase their hit rate in identifying high affinity binders.

System Gaining International Interest

Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation  (MCC) recently presented details of its research using the new microarray-based technology at the 61st Annual Meeting of Japanese Cancer Association held October 1-3, 2002 in Tokyo, Japan, and Annual Meeting of the Japanese Biochemical Society held October 14-17, 2002 in Kyoto, Japan.

About HTS Biosystems, Inc.

HTS Biosystems, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company specializing in high-throughput bioanalytical systems for the rapidly growing field of proteomics. HTS Biosystems offers a unique portfolio of innovative technologies that support all phases of proteomics, from discovery to development of therapeutic and diagnostic products. The company's technology platform - the Proteomatrix(TM) Solution - streamlines the discovery process and captures fixed costs for more effective use of protein data in target screening, validation, and discovery efforts. Collaborations with key industry partners, such as Applied Biosystems, Dyax Corporation, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, and Molsoft LLC have driven the development of the company's technology platform and related systems, including the next generation microarray-based SPR system, the CHEMI FLEX(TM) System, and the PHASE FLEX(TM) System for target discovery, screening and validation. HTS Biosystems' operations are located in Hopkinton, MA. For more information, visit www.htsbiosystems.com