TissueInformatics Launches High-Throughput Tissue Microarray Laboratory Service Capable of Analyzing TMAs 700% Faster than Industry Standard.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 27, 2003

TissueInformatics.Inc - "The Tissue Information Company(R)"

TissueInformatics announced today that it has launched its High-Throughput Tissue Microarray Laboratory Service capable of analyzing TMAs 700% faster than the current industry standard. This significant reduction in turnaround time is essential to accelerate the drug discovery process. Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology and CRO companies may now send their tissues or Tissue Microarray slides to TissueInformatics (TII) for rapid high-throughput TMA analysis.

A Tissue Microarray (TMA) consists of up to 2000 minute cylindrical biopsies mounted on a single glass slide instead of the traditional one or two sections per slide. This increased number of tissues could, for example, enable the faster identification of new biomarkers for Prostate or Breast cancer research. Until now, the real benefit of Tissue Microarrays could not be fully realized with current industry practices, as the high number of tissue sections on the Tissue Microarray would have required weeks to analyze by traditional means.

By using TissueInformatics leading Tissue Microarray Software coupled with multiple high-speed digital microscopes, TissueInformatics provides high-throughput TMA slide imaging and objective automated quantitative analysis and reporting of Tissue Microarrays results.

"10 high density Tissue Microarrays consisting of 500 tissue cores typically takes a pathologist approximately 70 hours to manually assess, quantify the tissue cores and perform the statistical analysis. The TissueInformatics High-Throughput Tissue Microarray Laboratory Service can image and perform complete statistical analysis of the same 5000 tissue cores in approximately 10 hours." said Dr. Rajiv Dhir, MD, CAP Certified Pathologist, TII consultant and Director of the Paraffin Tissue Array Facility, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

The launch of this Service is an important expansion of TissueInformatics TissueAnalytics(TM) Laboratory. The TissueInformatics TissueAnalytics(TM) Laboratory is the industry's first high capacity service laboratory for the automated quantitative analysis of tissue structure expression. TissueInformatics accelerates the drug discovery process by providing a broad range of tissue analysis services, tissue analysis software and drug discovery partnering solutions to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and CRO industries.

In addition to the analysis of TMAs and traditional slides, TissueInformatics state-of-the-art histology laboratory is also available for rapid Tissue Microarray or traditional slide preparation, staining with IHC, hematoxylin & eosin or other differential stains.

TissueInformatics' industry-wide expertise in tissue image capture and analysis, thorough scientific understanding of tissue morphology and extensive experience in performing daily slide analysis in its own TissueAnalytics(TM) Laboratory, allows TissueInformatics to provide high capacity tissue analytical services and provide a complete TissueAnalytics(TM) Software solution for implementation within its clients own laboratories.

TissueInformatics lead investors include the Aurora Funds, Birchmere Ventures, the Future Fund, InforMax, Manulife Financial, Motorola, Smithfield Trust and Techno Venture Management (TVM).

Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical are "forward-looking" statements, which involve a high degree of risk and uncertainty. Such statements are only predictions, and the actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to differences include, but are not limited to, risks associated with TissueInformatics.Inc's (the "Company's") dependence upon the creation of strategic alliances with providers for complementary services and products and the need to keep pace with rapid technological change, the Company's dependence for future revenues on its ability to increase sales of its tissue imaging and analysis applications, the development and availability of competitive products or technologies, and the Company's dependence on patents and its ability to defend its intellectual property rights. The Company specifically disclaims any intention or duty to update any forward-looking statements, and these statements represent the Company's current outlook as of the date given.