IQT Investment Accelerates Arcxis Biotechnologies Nucleic Acid Sample Preparation and Molecular Diagnostic Product Platforms

PLEASANTON, CA--(Marketwire - February 04, 2010) -

Arcxis Biotechnologies, a privately held biomedical device firm, announced that it has entered into an agreement to further expand its collaboration with IQT, the independent strategic investment firm that identifies innovative technology solutions to support the missions of the U.S. Intelligence Community. This investment is linked to Arcxis’ November 2009 funding round led by Claremont Creek Ventures and Kaiser Permanente Ventures and supports Arcxis’ continued development and commercialization efforts.

“Arcxis Biotechnologies’ new fully automated platform, now in prototype phase, ensures extremely fast and reproducible results, even in the hands of inexperienced users. This serves not only to reduce experimental errors commonly encountered with manual techniques, but improves the quantity and quality of the sample -- a key component to results accuracy,” said Christine Meda, CEO and President. “By efficiently extracting, isolating, and purifying RNA and DNA from blood, plasma, and environmental samples, our technology will save time and laboratory resources.”

“Arcxis continues to deliver impressive technology capabilities,” says William Strecker, Executive Vice President of Architecture and Engineering at IQT. “Arcxis’ nucleic acid sample preparation and molecular diagnostic product platforms will be an invaluable technology solution to the public and private sectors.”

Arcxis launched its first products in October 2009, the ArcPure™ sample preparation kits, which are available for sale on the Arcxis website. The company will launch its fully automated RNA and DNA sample preparation device, Xisyl™, to the clinical diagnostic marketplace later this year. This system will eliminate time consuming steps in manual sample preparation, as well as provide users a greater volume of purified starting material for demanding analyses such as organism detection, genotyping, gene expression and PCR. While the device is designed for efficient nucleic acid extraction and purification from blood and plasma, its capabilities make it ideal for preparation of environmental samples. Arcxis has developed a complementary probe technology, Tentacle Probes®, for creation of highly sensitive and specific assays.

About Arcxis Biotechnologies

Arcxis Biotechnologies, headquartered in Pleasanton, California, is a venture backed company formed to develop disruptive technologies for superior sample processing and pathogen detection accuracy. The company is developing the Xisyl™ workstation, a nucleic acid sample preparation platform, and the BioPhalanx™ analysis workstation, a fully automated sample-to-result system for dramatically improved workflows in the clinical laboratory and other environments. For additional information, please visit the company’s website (www.arcxis.com) or call (925) 621-7911.

About IQT

IQT is the strategic, not-for-profit investment firm that works to identify, adapt, and deliver innovative technology solutions to support the missions of the U.S. Intelligence Community. Launched by the CIA in 1999 as a private, independent organization, IQT’s mission is to identify and partner with companies developing cutting-edge technologies that serve the national security interests of the United States. Working from an evolving strategic blueprint defining the Intelligence Community’s critical technology needs, IQT engages with entrepreneurs, growth companies, researchers, and investors to deliver technologies that provide superior capabilities for the CIA and the larger Intelligence Community. IQT concentrates on several broad commercial technology areas, including physical and biological technologies; security; and software and infrastructure. To date, IQT has engaged with more than 175 companies and delivered more than 260 technology solutions to the Intelligence Community. To learn more about IQT, visit www.iqt.org.