SCIENCE

PASADENA, CA -- Acacia Research Corporation (Nasdaq:ACRI) today announced that its majority-owned subsidiary, CombiMatrix Corporation, has entered into a license and supply agreement with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The agreement provides for the license, purchase and use by the NASA Ames Research Center of CombiMatrix's active biochips (microarrays) and related technology to conduct biological research in both terrestrial laboratories and in space. "CombiMatrix's technology will enable NASA to conduct genome-wide functional analysis of any organism under any environmental condition, including in a micro-gravity environment," said NASA Ames Research Center research scientist Dr. Viktor Stolc. "NASA scientists also hope to use the CombiMatrix technology in the future to monitor astronaut health on the International Space Station. Due to space and weight restrictions on the International Space Station, scientists can carry out experiments on Earth, then upload the data to the Space Station, where the experiment could be duplicated using CombiMatrix's technology. For the first time, it will be possible to use a genomic analysis of many unusual organisms that are studied at NASA." NASA recently announced a $27 million biotechnology space initiative with a goal of understanding how human DNA behaves in space as well as here on earth. "Formalizing our relationship with NASA reflects CombiMatrix's strategy of converting early access customers into long-term commercial partners," said Gerald Knudson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CombiMatrix. "The flexibility and rapid customization of our technology will assist NASA in this promising field of space-based gene expression and biological research." NASA scientists using CombiMatrix's system in orbit should be able to design and produce customized biochips, conduct experiments, analyze the results, and produce additional biochips incorporating modified test parameters, without having to return to Earth. A biochip is a collection of miniaturized test sites arranged on a surface that permits many tests to be performed simultaneously, in order to achieve higher throughput and speed. CombiMatrix's integrated system of semiconductor-based biochips, proprietary chemistry and bioinformatics software offers the advantages of being cost-effective, fast, flexible, and customizable. The versatility of CombiMatrix's technology offers an enterprise-wide solution to meet the needs of pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical diagnostics companies. For additional information visit www.acaciaresearch.com or www.combimatrix.com or http://www.arc.nasa.gov/