NIH Licenses BIOBASE's TRANSFAC(R) and PROTEOME(TM) Databases.

WOLFENBUETTEL, Germany -- BIOBASE, a leading provider of expert-maintained biological databases and analysis software for the life science industry, announced today the signing of a licensing agreement with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the PROTEOME databases. Under the new terms, NIH extends its subscription for BIOBASE's TRANSFAC database and expands its portfolio to include the PROTEOME databases.

"We are very pleased about the broad acceptance of our expert-curated databases and analysis tools. The PROTEOME databases, which contain the most comprehensive collection of protein data available, and TRANSFAC - the premier information source for gene-regulatory correlations - will serve as an excellent starting point in supporting the NIH in the research and prevention of human diseases", states Prof. Dr. Edgar Wingender, President and CSO of BIOBASE.

PROTEOME - proteomics databases

The PROTEOME databases are a collection of species-specific protein databases that organize publicly available sequence information with up-to-date information derived from expert curation of the scientific literature. PROTEOME databases are organized into six volumes that include functional annotation for more than 20 species. The HumanPSD volume, in particular, focuses on the functions, roles, localization, and modifications of human, mouse, and rat proteins; expression patterns across cells, tissues, and tumors; consequences of gene mutations in mice; associations with human disease; and physical and regulatory interactions between proteins and genes. Complimentary access to a subset of the data in the PROTEOME databases is provided at www.biobase-international.com/pages/index.php?id=373.

TRANSFAC - gene regulation database

TRANSFAC is the eukaryotic gene regulation database that contains extensive information on over 8,700 transcription factors and their regulated genes, annotated by experts. TRANSFAC also includes details on over 18,000 transcription factor binding sites, from those derived nucleotide distribution matrices, as well as more than 12,000 binding fragments from ChIP-on-chip experiments. In addition, TRANSFAC's powerful software tools allow researchers to predict binding sites and visualize gene regulatory networks.

Database updates are released every three months, and the latest release of TRANSFAC is available for download at www.biobase-international.com. Academic users can obtain complimentary access to TRANSFAC public and other public BIOBASE databases at www.gene-regulation.com.

About BIOBASE

BIOBASE (www.biobase-international.com), based in WolfenbE-ttel (Germany), with branch offices in Beverly, MA (USA) and Bangalore (India) is a leading provider of expertly curated biological databases for the life science industry. BIOBASE's product portfolio, referred as the BIOBASE Knowledge Library (BKL) includes industry standards such as TRANSFAC([R]), TRANSPATH([R]), YPD[TM] and HumanPSD[TM] databases. In combination BIOBASE's powerful systems biology tool, ExPlain[TM], the BKL can be used to analyze complex regulatory networks and identify key molecules linked to human disease. In addition to the BKL, BIOBASE provides a growing collection of third-party databases including BRENDA([R]) and Human Gene Mutation Database (HGMD([R])). More than 600 customers now license BIOBASE databases.

About NIH

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) http://www.nih.gov . Co The Nation's Medical Research Agency Co includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases.

www.biobase-international.com