LifeSpan BioSciences Enters into Agreement with Roche for Expanded DrugTarget™ Localization Database

Business Wire, Jan 30, 2007

SEATTLE -- LifeSpan BioSciences, Inc., a leading antibody company specializing in immunohistochemistry and antibodies to drug target proteins, today announced a multi-year agreement with Roche for a subscription to LifeSpan's DrugTarget Database(TM).

Under the terms of the agreement, Roche Pharma will gain access to all the features of the CNS subset of the DrugTarget Database(TM). These include informatics on more than 3,400 genes, 886 comprehensive immunohistochemistry (IHC) reports with localization information on more than 450 potential drug targets selected by pharmaceutical company subscribers, and innovative search and analysis tools. LifeSpan continues to build the database by publishing localization data on an undisclosed number of additional protein targets each year.

"Roche's commitment to the DrugTarget Database(TM)consortium supports LifeSpan's vision of achieving a comprehensive human tissue localization resource for all therapeutically important proteins," said Joseph P. Brown, Ph.D., LifeSpan's Chief Executive Officer. "With current subscribers, LifeSpan expects to add over new 200 targets to the database. With the addition of new subscribers, we will substantially increase this number. The DrugTargetDatabase(TM) significantly enhances the ability of pharmaceutical companies to effectively identify and validate new targets."

The LifeSpan DrugTarget Database(TM) is LifeSpan's next-generation database following its successful GPCR and NHR family databases. In addition to accessing previously generated data, subscribers to the DrugTarget Database nominate new targets that they consider to be of therapeutic relevance, regardless of gene family. Significant growth is expected in the Ion Channel, Protein Kinase, and Transporter gene families, as well as many others. For each protein studied, LifeSpan will provide IHC localization information on 75 human normal and diseased tissues at the cellular level, often using custom generated antibodies. The DrugTarget Database(TM) has been further enhanced by using of additional methods to validate the antibodies, including Western blots and transfection assays, and an expansion of existing data mining tools.

About LifeSpan BioSciences, Inc.

LifeSpan BioSciences, headquartered in Seattle, Washington, is a privately held company founded in 1995 that employs human tissues, specific antibodies and immunohistochemistry to identify and validate targets for its biotechnology and pharmaceutical company customers in Europe, Asia and North America. Products and services include more than 1,300 antibodies, custom IHC-validated antibody synthesis, IHC contract research services, custom tissue microarray (TMA) construction for use in contract research studies, pathology and imaging services, monoclonal antibody cross-reactivity screening services, subscription access to comprehensive human tissue IHC localization profiles for 400 Drug Targets, an expression focused informatics resource for 3,200 genes.

For additional information on LifeSpan BioSciences, please visit LifeSpan's web site at www.lsbio.com