Cisbio Bioassays Marks Next Step in Development of Tag-lite(TM) GPCR Investigation Platform

Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France – September 30, 2009 – Cisbio Bioassays (www.htrf.com), a member of IBA group and global developer of HTRF® (Homogeneous Time-Resolved Fluorescence) technology and services used in assay development and drug screening, today announced that it has extended its Tag-lite™ cell surface receptor platform with the introduction of a comprehensive catalogue of ligands and plasmids. The new catalogue marks the next step in the company’s development of a complete array of tools for G-Protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR) investigation and, more specifically, of Tag-lite, its homogeneous and non-radioactive alternative for the study of cell surface receptor dimerization and ligand binding.

The catalogue comprises an initial selection of peptidic and non-peptidic fluorescent ligands and SNAP-GPCR plasmids. These are used to develop a homogeneous and non-radioactive partner for investigating and for screening receptor activity. Receptor families that have been characterized using the Tag-lite platform include chemokine, dopamine, melanocortin, opioid, tachykinin, vasoactive intestinal peptide and vasopressin, among others. Cisbio Bioassays will also provide specific ligand development services upon request.

“Tag-lite has been developed for cell receptor ligand binding studies and emerging applications such as receptor dimerization, and this new catalogue represents only the beginning of our expansion of this platform,” said François Degorce, head of marketing at Cisbio Bioassays. “We are consistently putting together new ideas for how this platform can improve drug discovery, and are already on the cusp of launching new ligands, cells and applications with new receptors.”

Launched earlier this year and recipient of the 2009 Frost & Sullivan North America Technology Innovation of the Year Award, Tag-lite is a cell surface receptor platform combining HTRF and SNAP™-tag technologies. Streamlined for highly selective ligand binding and receptor dimerization assays, this rapid, non-radioactive platform meets needs to investigate GPCR network signaling, while preserving the functionality of the receptor and the intracellular signaling pathway. GPCRs, with their complex signaling network pathways, are the most important target class studied in the drug discovery industry today and are of particular relevance to therapeutic areas such as obesity and CNS disorders. Cisbio Bioassays’ tools and technologies, including Tag-lite, Cellul’erk for phosphorylated-ERK1/2 investigation, IP-One and cAMP second messenger assays, enable researchers to investigate GPCRs from an increasing number of mechanistic and functional angles, both inside and outside the cell.

About Cisbio Bioassays

Cisbio Bioassays is a global developer of products and technologies used in in vitro diagnostics and assay development for drug screening procedures. The company pioneered the field of homogenous fluorescence methodologies via its proprietary technology, HTRF®, a highly sensitive, robust technology for the detection of molecular interactions and widely used by the pharmaceutical industry for the high throughput screening stage of drug development. In addition, Cisbio Bioassays produces a selection of biological reagents and methods used by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as contract research organizations (CROs). Headquartered in Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France, with facilities in Bedford, MA, U.S.A. and a network of distributors worldwide, Cisbio Bioassays is a member of the Belgium-based IBA group. Founded in 1986 in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, IBA is primarily active in the medical industry. It develops and markets state-of-the-art equipment and radiopharmaceuticals for cancer diagnosis and treatment. In addition, it uses the scientific expertise thus gained to provide electron accelerators for industrial sterilization and ionization. Listed on the pan-European stock exchange Euronext, IBA is included in the BEL Mid Index (IBA: Reuters IBAB.BR and Bloomberg IBAB.BB). Please visit www.htrf.com and www.iba-worldwide.com for more information about Cisbio Bioassays and IBA.

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