NEW DISTRIBUTED COMPOUND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM A HIT WITH BIG PHARMA

HOPKINTON, MA – January 15, 2002 – In the last quarter of 2001 six of the largest pharmaceutical research organizations have taken delivery of TekCel's Plate Management System which provides the industry's first automated solution for distributed compound storage and management. Many of these companies have also placed orders for additional units. Systems have also been ordered by companies in the biotech research community, according to TekCel.

Dick Delio, CEO of TekCel, said, "Two key strategies employed in the push for rapid drug development include expanding compound libraries to maximize identifying a lead compound, and accessing the proliferation of new targets made available through the recent Genomics initiatives. Both of these strategies necessitate improvements in microplate management automation."

"TekCel's Plate Management System answers the unmet needs to preserve compound integrity and automate plate handling and management from compound storage through assay analysis, regardless of the equipment employed at either end. Customers have implemented TekCel's compound management solution as a strategic acquisition to safeguard and automate their most valuable asset, the compound library. It is also compact, mobile, scalable, cost-effective and exceptionally reliable."

Chris McNary, President of TekCel, said, "These systems can be fully operational within days of delivery. Accessing compounds for an assay is as simple as floating the PlateStore™ on its internal hovercraft-type air bearings up to the PlateServer™ and making a couple connections. Everything after that is fully automated. Although early users are confirming substantial manpower savings, the greatest value of this solution is assuring compound integrity which can substantially extend the useful life of a library."

Central to the Plate Management System are three innovative components unique to TekCel: the compact, mobile PlateStore module that houses up to 1,000 microplates (up to 384,000 compounds); the PlateServer that thaws, unseals, feeds, retrieves and reseals microplates in a totally inert atmosphere; and unique SealTite™ lids—the only reusable automation compatible microtiter plate seal—that eliminate contamination, protect personnel from exposure to compounds, and provide a means for precise robotic handling of microplates.

TekCel, a privately held company, is a leader in providing plate management solutions to the drug discovery laboratory automation industry.

For more information, contact: TekCel, 103 South Street, Hopkinton, MA 01748. Tel: (508) 544-7000. Email info@tekcel.com. Or visit http://www.tekcel.com.





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