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Biotech / Medical : Ciphergen Biosystems(CIPH): -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tuck who wrote (81)	11/7/2002 11:02:51 AM
From: tuck	Respond to of 510

The pop yesterday may also have come from this PR: >>FREMONT, Calif., Nov. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ciphergen Biosystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CIPH - News) today announced that Novartis has expanded its use of SELDI ProteinChip® technology and has entered into a master agreement to cover certain compound profiling projects with Ciphergen's Biomarker Discovery Centers®. Novartis has now acquired multiple ProteinChip Systems, one of which is being used in its Oncology Business Unit. Ciphergen's ProteinChip Systems are being used for a variety of purposes, most notably protein Expression Difference Mapping(TM) to discover biomarkers for drug discovery as well as for clinical and preclinical development purposes. Supported by Ciphergen's field scientists, this decentralized use of the technology fits Ciphergen's vision of putting a powerful protein analysis tool in the hands of biologists immersed in the biology of their disease or functional focus. Under the master agreement, Ciphergen may conduct multiple outsourced projects from Novartis. In the first such project, Ciphergen's Biomarker Discovery Center in Malvern, PA has launched a study with Novartis' Oncology Business Unit to profile protein expression effects of their compounds. This study will compare serum samples from patients who responded to treatment with a drug candidate to samples from patients who did not respond. "We're delighted that Novartis has become such a key account through its use of our ProteinChip Systems and Biomarker Discovery Center collaborative services," commented William E. Rich, President and CEO of Ciphergen. "We are optimistic that through ProteinChip Array compound profiling we will develop key insights into the optimal applications of our drugs to benefit patients," stated David Parkinson, M.D., Vice President and Global Head, Novartis Oncology Translational Therapeutic Development.<< snip And today a corporate collaboration for the multiple biomarker approach: >>NAPLES, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 7, 2002--NeoGenomics (OTCBB:NOGN - News) announced today that they have entered into a Research and License Agreement with Ciphergen Biosystems, Inc. (Nasdaq:CIPH - News) to perform proteomics research studies using Ciphergen's proprietary ProteinChip® Biomarker System. The collaboration contains a detailed research work plan, which includes significant scientific contributions from both parties and specifies procedures for licensing and commercialization of discoveries with therapeutic or diagnostic product potential. Details of the terms are not announced. During a meeting held last month, NeoGenomics' scientific advisory board determined it would focus its initial research on Pre-eclampsia within this collaborative effort. Drawing from NeoGenomics' database of blood and tissue samples, the research team will apply the ProteinChip technology to identify protein biomarkers for the disease. The Company hopes to develop proprietary screening and diagnostic applications that can eventually be utilized by NeoGenomics, or licensed to a third party. Pre-eclampsia (Toxemia) is a disorder that affects pregnant mothers and their unborn infants. The disease is characterized by high blood pressure, edema, and proteinuria, and occurs in 5-10% of all pregnancies. Estimated to be responsible for over 15% of maternal deaths in the United States annually, it is the leading global cause of maternal and infant illness and death. Despite the significance of the condition, its origin remains unknown. Ciphergen's ProteinChip technology is based on protein biochips integrated with SELDI-TOF-MS (Surface-Enhanced Laser Desorption/Ionization - Time of Flight - Mass Spectrometry) detection and pattern recognition software which rapidly performs the separation, detection and analysis of proteins that can then be classified as potential biomarkers for specific diseases/disorders, such as Pre-eclampsia. The ProteinChip System includes Ciphergen's Biomarker Patterns(TM) software, a powerful pattern recognition tool which automates statistical analysis methods to correlate protein expression patterns from clinical samples with disease phenotypes. This technology will allow NeoGenomics' scientists to compare the molecular properties of maternal blood and urine samples, as well as fetal blood and placental tissues, from mothers with the disease to a control group of non-diseased specimens. Ciphergen's ProteinChip technology recently received accolades for other protein discoveries within ovarian cancer and AIDS research, and holds much promise for NeoGenomics' research goals. "Ciphergen is an industry leader with a reputation for success. We feel fortunate to collaborate with them as we embark on our initial research platform, and I am confident that this union of intellectual resources and technology will accelerate our discovery potential for this very deadly disease," stated Dr. Michael Dent, President of NeoGenomics.<< snip Cheers, Tuck