Here is the press release about the biochip manufacturing systems: (Note the size of the market being forecast for this business. This could be a very significant source of revenue for JMAR in the future.)
JMAR RECEIVES $1.8 MILLION IN ORDERS FOR DNA BIOCHIP
MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS
Advanced Biochips Expected to Play Key Role in
Speeding Biomedical Research
SAN DIEGO, California (January 11, 2000) ? JMAR
Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq NM:JMAR), announced today that its
JMAR Precision Systems (JPSI) division has received orders valued
at approximately $1.8 million from a leading DNA biochip company for
several micro-positioning lithography alignment systems. These
systems will enable the fabrication of biomedical products targeted at
improving the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of many diseases.
DNA biochips are also being used for managing genetic information
that can contribute to the study of the human aging process.
According to the October 25, 1999 Business Week magazine,
surveys by brokerage houses and market-research firms indicate an
immediate market for biochips of about $1 billion, with the potential
to expand to $40 billion in the next decade. This increase should
generate substantial growth opportunities for equipment and systems
makers in this market.
"We are extremely pleased with the growing demand from the
biotechnology industry for our precision products", commented John
S. Martinez, Ph.D. JMAR's Chairman and CEO. "The biotech industry,
long overshadowed by Silicon Valley, is now beginning to incorporate
key semiconductor manufacturing techniques to accelerate the pace
of its product introductions. The adaptation to the biochip market of
JMAR's precision positioning, alignment and lithography technologies
is a natural spin-off from our current semiconductor equipment product
lines.
"Biochips look like the semiconductor chips used in many familiar
electronic products, including computers, but instead of containing tiny
microcircuits, they are loaded with micro-bits of DNA material."
Martinez continued, "For example, when biochips are placed in
contact with a material to be evaluated, they allow scientists and
bio-medical professionals to perform large numbers of biochemical
experiments at a fraction of the cost and time now required for
conventional testing. Many industry analysts agree that biochips will
bring genomics, the study of all of the genes in a living organism, out
of the research laboratories and into the daily practice of medicine
within the next few years. They are expected to do for biology what
microprocessors did for computers. We are delighted to be a part of
this vital and vibrant industry."
Fred Schiele, President of JPSI said, "JMAR is firmly committed to
supporting the precision manufacturing needs of the biochip industry.
We anticipate that JMAR's powerful, growing arsenal of advanced
technologies will position us to secure additional orders that will further
expand our role in this exciting, rapidly growing market."
JMAR Technologies, Inc. is a semiconductor industry-focused
company. In addition to the products produced by JPSI, JMAR
Technologies provides specialty semiconductor products for the
microelectronics industry and is a leading developer of proprietary
advanced light sources for lithography and other high value
manufacturing and metrology applications. Please visit JMAR?s web
site at www.jmar.com for additional information on the company.
The statements regarding JMAR's expectations of the successful
introduction of new products and future sales and potential business
opportunities are forward-looking statements based on current
expectations that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could
cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the
forward-looking statements. These risks include the failure of future
orders to materialize as expected, delays in shipment or
cancellation of orders, failure of acceptance of new products, failure
of advanced technology to perform as predicted and the other risks
detailed in the company's Form 10-K and other reports filed with the
SEC.
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