FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 9, 2003

DRI (DNA Research Innovations) and Tecan UK today announced an agreement to form a partnership to provide fully automated nucleic acid purification solutions for the clinical & research markets.

New automated nucleic acid purification method radically improves DNA purification …

DRI (DNA Research Innovations) and Tecan UK today announced an agreement to form a partnership to provide fully automated nucleic acid purification solutions for the clinical & research markets. The agreement allows Tecan UK to sell a range of DRI's unique Charge Switch™ Technology (CST®) reagents on its automated robotic platforms for DNA extraction and purification.

Blood is one of the most readily available sources of DNA, especially for clinical and veterinary applications, but until now, DNA purification from whole blood has been a labour intensive and time consuming process with many steps and involving potentially hazardous chemicals.

A range of products based on CST® Magnetic Beads will now be sold under the Tecan label with protocols written specifically for the Tecan MiniPrep, Genesis® and Freedom™ Evo automated systems. These include kits for the extraction of genomic DNA from blood and buccal cells and for the clean up of PCR fragments. Additionally the MagnaClear™ kits allow for full automation of the purification of plasmid DNA directly from broth rather than the cell pellet, totally eliminating the need for centrifugation and thereby significantly increasing potential throughput.

Protected by granted patents CST® offers significant advantages over existing technologies. With no chaotropic agents, organic solvents, alcohols, or drying steps, the aqueous buffers ensureretain the integrity of the sample DNA and ensure ease of automation. PCR inhibitors seen in the more traditional methods of purification are not present resulting in more reliable PCR and longer sequencing read lengths.

DRI's Chief Executive Simon Douglas said 'The combination of Tecan's world class range of liquid handling systems and our CST® Magnetic beads has resulted in some of the fastest and easiest protocols for the extraction of DNA from a range of sample types. It will allow the end user to remove the bottleneck commonly seen in their laboratories'.

David Anstee, National Sales Manager, Tecan UK agrees. 'Linking up with DRI has given us the opportunity to provide a world-class solution to the problems of automating the extraction of DNA. The protocols are simple to automate and the purely aqueous nature of all the reagents will give the end user confidence in the purity of the DNA'.

'With the installed instrument base and their reputation in the market place, Tecan UK represent the ideal first partner for DRI' concluded Simon Douglas.

CONTACTS:

Tecan UK Ltd. Theale Court 11-13 High Street Theale Reading RG7 5AH UK tel. +44-1189-300300 email: tecanuk@tecan.com www.tecan.com