Patents Issued in US, Europe, and Australia further expands Molecular Staging Inc.’s Rolling Circle Amplification Technology Patent Portfolio

NEW HAVEN, September 5, 2001 / — Molecular Staging Inc. (MSI) announced today that it has received 6 US patents covering Rolling Circle Amplification Technology (RCATTM) and its use in life science research and diagnostic products. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) awarded MSI patent numbers 06210884, 06183960, and 05854033 for “Rolling Circle Replication Reporter System”, and patent number 06143495 for “Unimolecular Segment Amplification & Sequencing” by RCAT.

These patents cover inventions by Dr. Paul Lizardi and colleagues at Yale University, which have been exclusively licensed by MSI. The USPTO also awarded MSI patent number 06235502 for “Methods for selectively isolating DNA using Rolling Circle Amplification” and patent number 06150112 for “Methods for identifying DNA sequences for use in comparison of DNA samples by their lack of polymorphism” by RCAT. One European patent, number 00862656, has been awarded to MSI, as have two Australian patents, numbered 704750 and 714486, covering RCAT.

“Patents provide important protection for our development and marketing partners as we expand the availability of life science research and diagnostic products incorporating RCAT globally,” said Torben Christensen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Molecular Staging Inc. “The intellectual property estate surrounding our Rolling Circle Amplification Technology is firmly established in the United States with six issued patents, and now extends internationally with three issued patents. Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, MSI’s life science research product partner is currently marketing two products, TempliPhiTM and SNiPerTM worldwide and we expect to expand to all major life science research and diagnostic markets in the future.”

In other patent news, the company was awarded patent number 06124120 by the USPTO for “Multiple Displacement Amplification” (MDA), the amplification technology underpinning AmpliPhiTM, the company’s novel method for whole genome amplification. MSI has licensed MDA to Amersham Pharmacia Biotech for life science research product development, and MSI is investigating the method as a potential future diagnostic product.

MSI is a life science company developing a portfolio of technologies for detection and measurement of proteins and nucleic acids across a broad range of applications, including proteomics, genomics, pharmacogenomics and diagnostics. One of MSI’s core technologies is Rolling Circle Amplification Technology (RCATTM), a proprietary amplification process that has significant advantages in terms of sensitivity, multiplexing, dynamic range and scalability. Additional information about MSI can be found at www.molecularstaging.com

Contact:

Jennifer Joiner
Tel: (203)772-5000
Fax: (203)776-5276
JenniferJ@MolecularStaging.com