Target Discovery Advances Biochemical Separation Capabilities with the Launch of UltraTrol Products.

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Target Discovery, Inc., a discovery biology company, today announced the launch of its UltraTrol(TM) suite of dynamic pre-coat reagents for capillary and microchannel electrophoresis. UltraTrol(TM) dynamic pre-coat products facilitate direct integration of capillary electrophoresis (CE) with mass spectrometry (MS), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and other downstream analytical methods. The reagents provide life science and other researchers unprecedented levels of control over resolution, reproducibility and productivity in CE -- capabilities that were introduced in Target Discovery's EOTrol(TM) product line and now expanded to enable a broad range of hybrid CE methods.

While CE has several appealing advantages over other analytical separations methods, such as speed, resolution capacity and minimal sample dilution, CE has historically struggled with limitations caused by lack of control over electroosmotic force and flow (EOF), a natural occurrence in CE separations. Target Discovery provides the advanced technology to fully leverage these compelling capabilities. The earlier launch of Target Discovery's EOTrol(TM) product line introduced the ability to precisely control both the magnitude and direction of EOF, and thus to access previously unobtainable CE resolution, reproducibility and throughput capabilities, vastly increasing the value and popularity of CE. With the introduction of UltraTrol(TM), these new benefits can now be directly coupled with other analytical methods.

The UltraTrol(TM) and EOTrol(TM) suite of products address difficult separation hurdles to overcome long-standing technical limitations in biochemical separation and identification. These products provide researchers with the tools to obtain precise, reproducible separations as well as quantitation of challenging biochemical mixtures.

"The UltraTrol(TM) and EOTrol(TM) products are very powerful technologies that solve fundamental separation issues and are now improving scientific research and diagnostic product capabilities in important areas previously considered inaccessible," said Jeffrey Peterson, CEO of Target Discovery. "EOTrol(TM) was named one of the top five products featured at Pittcon(R) 2004, and we are convinced that the extension of this technology into UltraTrol(TM) dynamic pre-coat reagents will have a profound impact on life science research, on disease diagnosis and staging, and broadly upon the role of capillary electrophoresis in analytical chemistry. In Target Discovery's internal discovery programs, we have achieved exceptional reliability and throughput by using UltraTrol(TM) and EOTrol(TM) to separate and quantify alpha 1-antitrypsin isoforms, critical protein biomarkers for emphysema, liver disorders, and Alzheimer's disease."

The UltraTrol(TM) dynamic pre-coating reagents are compatible with any capillary or microfluidic electrophoresis systems. They are pH and buffer insensitive, providing selectable and consistent controlled levels and directions of electroosmotic flow across a wide range of separation conditions. Because the UltraTrol(TM) reagents are applied as a pre-coating during CE separations they do not elute with the sample. This facilitates hybrid CE separations coupled with the use of a wider range of analysis and detection options, such as mass spectrometry, HPLC and other analytical platforms. UltraTrol(TM) and EOTrol(TM) products can be ordered through Target Discovery's website (www.targetdiscovery.com) or by telephone at 877-834-4620. EOTrol(TM) and UltraTrol(TM) Application Notes highlighting these new capabilities are also available from TDI's website.

About Target Discovery, Inc.

Target Discovery is a discovery biology company that seeks to alleviate critical bottlenecks imposed by current technologies upon drug development and life science research. The company is developing products and platform technologies for the elucidation of high quality biological data and for the conversion of that information into a confirmed understanding of biological pathways. This strategy, "From Omics to Knowmics," is the key to pathway understanding that enables new efficiencies in the identification, selection and development of optimal disease targets, biomarkers and drug candidates. Target Discovery's technologies span expressional proteomics, interactional proteomics, metabolomics, and systems biology, and the company is advancing the field of "isoformics." Target Discovery's technologies offer utility across the life sciences, but are particularly focused on strengthening the new drug development process, accelerating pharmaceutical and biotechnology R&D, and increasing the probability of blockbuster drug outcomes. The company is based in Palo Alto, Calif. More information is available at www.targetdiscovery.com.