INDUSTRY

SAN DIEGO, CA -- GeneFormatics Inc., a leader in the field of structural proteomics, today announced that Celera Genomics (NYSE: CRA), an Applera Corp. business, will deliver a structural proteomics database developed by GeneFormatics through the Celera Discovery System(TM) ("CDS"). The GeneFormatics Proteomics Database now includes more than 7,000 novel biochemical function and structure assignments for thousands of potential drug targets in the human proteome. Under the agreement, the GeneFormatics Proteomics Database will be incorporated into and made available through CDS. As additional structure-function assignments are discovered through the application of proprietary computational technology to protein sequences by GeneFormatics, they will be added to the GeneFormatics Proteomics Database and made accessible through CDS. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. "We are pleased that Celera, a clear leader in providing genomics tools for drug discovery, chose to provide the GeneFormatics Proteomics Database to its customers," commented John Chiplin, Ph.D., president and CEO of GeneFormatics. "Knowledge of the biochemical function and structures of encoded proteins are critical to leveraging the value of genomic data in structure-based drug design processes." GeneFormatics developed its Proteomics Database using its high throughput "function first" approach to assign a protein's biochemical function using a combination of novel in silico technologies. "We are impressed with the depth of information found in the GeneFormatics Proteomics Database and are pleased to provide this unique structure and function data to our customers," stated Jason Molle, general manager, Celera's online business. "We believe this information will prove to be a valuable enhancement in their drug discovery efforts." The Celera Discovery System is an integrated, Web-based platform that enables users to leverage Celera's computational tools, supercomputing power, and the genomic and biological databases to advance the discovery process for researchers worldwide. "In the last several months, we've made over 7,000 novel discoveries in the human proteome in addition to thousands of other function and structure discoveries in other proteomes," said Jacquelyn Fetrow, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of GeneFormatics. "The information associated with these discoveries is used to help customers identify and prioritize proteins as targets in the drug discovery process." GeneFormatics Inc., an innovator in the field of structural proteomics, integrates proprietary computational algorithms with the results of certain experimental technologies to rapidly predict novel protein function and structure information on an unprecedented scale. This information could accelerate drug discovery and product development by enabling more efficient target prioritization leading to pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. GeneFormatics has generated novel information about proteins in key microbial and model proteomes, and is currently employing its technology platform to obtain valuable proprietary information for thousands of potential drug targets in the human proteome.