INCAPS Announces Key Milestones; CRO Gains Customers, Projects; Plans Upcoming Appearances at Conferences.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Centers for Applied Protein Sciences (INCAPS) announced today several major accomplishments and milestones in its brief history. Formed in 2004, INCAPS is a fee-for-service contract research organization that provides proteomic technology validation and protein analysis services for academic and private sector clients.

INCAPS' customer base has risen to 17 and it has undertaken over 130 projects in the past 18 months. The company continues to add to its list of commercial clients interested in accessing INCAPS' expertise in proteomics research. The company's clients span the clinical diagnostics, biotech, pharmaceutical, agro sciences and medical device fields as well as academia. It has also processed over 1,800 samples, including plasma, cerebrospinal fluid, liver tissue, plants, cancer cells and kidney stones.

INCAPS currently employs 15 science and business professionals with additional hiring expected in 2006. It is the largest tenant of the Indiana University Emerging Technologies Center, a business incubator located in Indianapolis.

"As pharmaceutical and biotech companies continue to look at ways to increase efficiency, INCAPS has been successful in working with these types of companies to support their proteomics research," said INCAPS President and CEO Dr. James R. Ludwig. "We have enjoyed a tremendous year of growth, and we will continue to expand our services to meet the demands of the industry and of our clients."

Last August, INCAPS received a portion of a $2.7 million federal grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases as part of a multidisciplinary collaboration established to develop novel tests for early diagnosis of severe sepsis and pneumonia.

Earlier this year, INCAPS entered into a corporate alliance with BASi, a drug development firm providing contract research services and unique products for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. The two organizations will provide complementary services to allow for client growth and retention at both organizations.

The rest of 2006 brings multiple opportunities for INCAPS to showcase their expanding service line to potentially receptive audiences.

This month, the company will be at the Biotechnology Industry Organization's annual conference in Chicago, participating in the Business Partnering Forum. They will also be showcased as part of the State of Indiana booth (# 1513) by The Indy Partnership.

In May, INCAPS will be participating in the American Society for Mass Spectrometry conference (May 28 - June 1), where two scientists will be presenting posters.

In 2006, INCAPS will be moving forward with a Neuroproteomics Consortium in collaboration with four major pharmaceutical companies. The consortium is focused on pre-competitive experiments exploring the effect of disease and drug action in the central nervous system. The quest to identify specific biomarkers is becoming an increasingly critical effort in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. The focus of this first consortium is neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, but the model will also be used in forming new consortia around other disease areas such as cancer.

"INCAPS services provide information that helps our clients to produce better products at lower cost," said Dr. Jean-Pierre Wery, Chief Scientific Officer of INCAPS. "This new consortium will increase our ability to distinguish disease states and monitor drug action through the discovery and validation of critical protein biomarkers. It will also help to change the process of drug discovery and validation in a way that truly reduces the cost of drug discovery and therefore the cost of the therapies produced."

About INCAPS

INCAPS, a BioCrossroads company, is a fee-for-service contract research organization with expertise in protein analysis, proteomics, technology validation and biomarker collaborations. The company offers multiple, state-of-the-art, mass spectrometry technologies coupled with proprietary sample preparation methods and quantification software. INCAPS provides a secure and confidential environment, and clients own all of the data generated. INCAPS was formed through BioCrossroads, Indiana's life sciences initiative, along with the state's leading academic and industry organizations. Learn more at www.indianacaps.com or www.biocrossroads.com.