UK Human Genome Mapping Project Licenses Silicon Genetics' GeNet System.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

BIOWIRE2K

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 22, 2003

Silicon Genetics, the market leader in expression data analysis and management solutions, today announced that the Human Genome Mapping Project Resource Centre (HGMP-RC) would deploy its GeNet system and make it accessible to researchers in up to 500 labs throughout the UK.

"Our researchers can now take advantage of GeNet to search for expression patterns of interest in a centralized repository," said Tom Freeman, leader of the Microarray Group. "Until now, we were concerned that huge amounts of array data stored on CDs were collecting dust in labs around the country. In addition to streamlined collaboration, GeNet means that we no longer have to mail a CD to a lab every time we run the array scanner -- we can simply publish the results in a database that can be accessed from any desktop browser. Researchers can then further analyze their data with sophisticated visualization tools."

Freeman also stated, "We are currently working with two technologies for expression profiling, spotted microarrays and Affymetrix chips. Both approaches are essential for gaining insights into the regulation of biological systems and gene function, and GeNet will allow us to run analyses of both platforms without any reprogramming."

"We're very committed to meeting the increasing demand for microarray analysis and centralized storage at academic and pharmaceutical core facilities," said Saeid Akhtari, president and CEO of Silicon Genetics. "We're especially delighted that HGMP chose GeNet for centrally managing their expression data. We believe that their large academic community will be well served by the highly flexible architecture of GeNet. This flexibility includes the option to distribute computationally intensive tasks across multiple servers as well as a choice of a browser-based or GeneSpring(R) client in remote labs."

About Silicon Genetics

Silicon Genetics is the leading provider of expression data analysis and management solutions that accelerate the pace of drug discovery and functional genomics research. With combined expertise in molecular biology and information technology, Silicon Genetics is the only company to offer scalability that meets the demands of both high throughput sample volumes and increasing numbers of users. Thousands of scientists at hundreds of organizations, including 11 of the world's top 13 pharmaceutical companies, currently use Silicon Genetics desktop and enterprise solutions to advance their research. Additional information about Silicon Genetics and its products and services can be found at www.silicongenetics.com.

About HGMP-RC

The Human Genome Mapping Project Resource Centre is funded by the UK Medical Research Council to provide bioinformatics and biological services to the UK academic community. In addition to offering centralized collaborative and training facilities, it fabricates microarrays of human and mouse genes that are freely available to other UK academic sites. The HGMP-RC encourages the transfer of technology from academic to commercial/industrial applications. Additional information can be found at www.hgmp.mrc.ac.uk.