CAMBRIDGE, MA -- MolecularWare Inc., an emerging bioinformatics company, announced today the commercialization of its DigitalGENOME(TM) suite of software products that streamline the capture and analysis of mission-critical data from high-throughput research platforms. The Company has shipped product to its first U.S.-based customer, The Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, located at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). DigitalGENOME(TM) enables effective management of the staggering flow of information from genomics- and proteomics-related research. This breakthrough software allows scientists to receive massive quantities of data from various heterogeneous high-throughput instruments (such as liquid handling robots, microarraying robots, and microarray scanners) that have traditionally been next-to-impossible to capture automatically. "MolecularWare is well-positioned to dramatically help drug researchers more effectively capture and analyze the colossal amount of mission-critical data being generated by high-throughput research platforms," said Richard P. Kivel, chief executive officer of MolecularWare. "Our products will fundamentally change the way pharmaceutical research is conducted and I look forward to helping take this company to the next level." "Now that the human genome has been mapped, medical research is generating millions of data points every day in the quest to derive the function of the 30,000-plus genes in the genome," added Kivel. "Simultaneously, pharmaceutical companies are racing to secure broad patents around the use of genes in drug development and diagnostics. Our software provides the solution to efficiently manage a colossal amount of data and thereby considerably speed development of new drugs." "DigitalGENOME is enabling us to more effectively manage the absolutely staggering flow of critical information from biotechnology research," said Thomas Volkert, Microarray Facility Manager at The Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at MIT. "While we've seen extraordinary progress in recent years in data-collection, limitations of existing software have hindered researchers' attempts to make effective use of these data. MolecularWare's software allows scientists to receive massive quantities of data from our high-throughput instruments. These data can then be cleansed, archived, stored in functional frameworks and mined effectively to develop new drugs or even new diagnostic tools." The Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research is a non-profit, independent research and educational institution with pathfinding programs in cancer and AIDS research, structural biology, genetics, infectious disease research, developmental biology, and transgenic science. Its mission is two-fold: improve human health and welfare, and extend the boundaries of knowledge for future generations. The Whitehead Institute is affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in its teaching activities but wholly independent in its governance, finances, and research programs. MolecularWare was founded to create a new bioinformatics paradigm that effectively manages the transition of large amounts of information. The Company's mission is to create software that forges a link between the biotechnology researchers and the data generated from complex experiments taking place around the world. Drug-discovery research represents the best initial market for the Company's products due to recent adoption of cutting-edge automated research hardware and the technical sophistication of end-users. The subsequent integration of workflow management and knowledge management made possible by MolecularWare will usher in a whole new era of molecular medicine, as vast amounts of information gleaned from genomics research is easily transformed into diagnostic strategies that predict and prevent disease. MolecularWare is actively building multiple distribution channels and selling its products through hardware vendors to accelerate market penetration of its DigitalGENOME(TM) suite of products. In 1999, the company was the recipient of the prestigious "MIT $50K Entrepreneurship Competition Award." The Company's investors include the venture-capital firms Aspen Investment Group and KnowledgeCube Group. For further information visit www.molecularware.com