BRANFORD, Conn., Jan. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CuraGen Corporation's majority-owned subsidiary 454 Life Sciences Corporation today announced that 454 Sequencing enabled two of the top ten scientific breakthroughs of 2006, as named by the journal Science. The runner up to breakthrough of the year is the commencement of Neandertal Genomics. Also on the list is the discovery of piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) in animal testes.
PBS Science Investigators is highlighting the commencement of the Neandertal genome project with an episode scheduled to air tonight at 8 PM ET /5 PM PT. Host Victoria Bruce visits the 454 Sequencing Center and asks: What can DNA from a more than 30,000-year-old Neandertal man tell us about ourselves?
"It's amazing to see the impact that 454 Sequencing has had on science in only the second year of its commercial availability" said Michael Egholm, Ph.D., Vice President, Molecular Biology, 454 Life Sciences. "The capabilities of the 454 Sequencing system allow scientists to conduct experiments that were previously impossible and it is rewarding to be recognized by the scientific community."
More than 30 studies enabled by 454 Sequencing were published in peer reviewed journals during 2006 including 13 papers in the prestigious journals Nature, Science and Cell. Four of these papers were on the cover of their respective issues:
* "An obesity-associated gut microbiome with increased capacity for energy harvest" appeared as the cover story of the December 28 issue of Nature and concludes that bacteria in the gut may be arbiters of weight loss or gain; * "Large-scale sequencing reveals 21U-RNAs and additional microRNAs and endogenous siRNAs in C. elegans" appeared on the cover of the December 15 issue of the journal Cell; * "Analysis of one million base pairs of Neandertal DNA" was featured on the cover of the November 16 issue of the journal Nature; * "Flexibility and constraint in the nucleosome core landscape of Caenorhabditis elegans chromatin" appeared on the cover of the August 31 issue of Genome Research and demonstrated the ultra-deep capabilities of 454 Sequencing
"2006 was a breakout year for 454 Life Sciences and these publications are a testament to the breadth of important applications enabled by 454 Sequencing," explained Christopher K McLeod, President and CEO of 454 Life Sciences. "Feedback from the research community has been instrumental in facilitating additional research applications and in the development of the next generation GS-FLX, boasting longer read lengths, increased throughput per run, and high single read accuracy over 200 bases."
454 Life Sciences has made its technology widely commercially available through Roche Applied Science, a business unit of Roche Diagnostics and the 454 Sequencing Center
About 454 Life Sciences
454 Life Sciences, established in 2000 as a majority-owned subsidiary of CuraGen Corporation , develops and commercializes novel instrumentation for high-throughput nucleotide sequencing, with specific application to whole-genome sequencing and ultra-deep sequencing of target genes. The hallmarks of 454 Sequencing(TM) are its simple, unbiased sample preparation and massively parallel sequencing, which makes large-scale scientific projects feasible and more affordable. The Genome Sequencer 20(TM) System enables one individual to prepare and sequence an entire genome, regardless of size. A single instrument using patented light emitting sequencing chemistries produces over 20 million nucleotide bases per five-hour run, more than 60 times the capacity of currently available instruments. In 2005, 454 Sequencing and the Genome Sequencer 20 System won The Wall Street Journal's top Innovation Award for 2005, and received an R&D 100 Editor's Choice Award as one of the most technologically significant products introduced in 2006. The 454 Sequencing Center offers sequencing services directly to customers on a fee for service basis. The Genome Sequencer 20 system is exclusively distributed for 454 Life Sciences by Roche Applied Science, a division of Roche Diagnostics. For additional information please visit http://www.454.com.
Safe Harbor
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding future expectations, beliefs, intentions, goals, strategies, plans or prospects regarding the future, including the potential for 454 Life Sciences technology to have long-term impact on research and society. Such statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. 454 Life Sciences and CuraGen caution investors that there can be no assurance that actual results or business conditions will not differ materially from those projected or suggested in such forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, the following: the early stage of development of 454 Life Sciences' products and technologies; customer acceptance of 454 Life Sciences' products and technologies; 454 Life Sciences' ability to scale-up production of its products and technologies; disputes between 454 Life Sciences and CuraGen; the success of competing products and technologies; technological uncertainty and product development risks; uncertainties of clinical trials, government regulation and healthcare reform; uncertainty of additional funding with respect to both CuraGen and 454 Life Sciences; 454 Life Sciences' and CuraGen's history of incurring losses and the uncertainty of achieving profitability; CuraGen's stage of development as a biopharmaceutical company; patent infringement claims against 454 Life Sciences' and CuraGen's products, processes and technologies; the ability to protect 454 Life Sciences' and CuraGen's patents and proprietary rights; uncertainties relating to commercialization rights; product liability exposure; and competition. Please refer to CuraGen's Annual and Quarterly Reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q for a complete description of these risks. 454 Life Sciences and CuraGen disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
454(R) is a registered trademark of 454 Life Sciences Corporation. 454 Life Sciences(TM), Genome Sequencer 20(TM), PicoTiterPlate(TM), and 454 Sequencing(TM) are trademarks of 454 Life Sciences Corporation.
CuraGen Corporation Noonan Russo Glenn Schulman Benjamin Carmichael Assistant Director of IR benjamin.carmichael@eurorscg.cominfo@curagen.com (212) 845-4242 (888) 436-6642
CuraGen Corporation; 454 Life SciencesCONTACT: Glenn Schulman, Assistant Director of IR of CuraGen Corporation,1-888-436-6642, info@curagen.com; or Benjamin Carmichael, of Noonan Russofor CuraGen Corporation, +1-212-845-4242, benjamin.carmichael@eurorscg.com
Web site: http://www.454.com/
