Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. Introduces First ProteOn™ Sensor Chip Capable of Label-Free Interaction Analysis of Membrane Proteins With Peptides and Small Molecules

Hercules, CA — May 21, 2012 — Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. announced the launch of two surface plasmon resonance (SPR) kits that, when used with the ProteOn XPR36 protein interaction analysis system, enable for the first time the accurate analysis of lipids and membrane proteins with peptides and small molecules.

G-coupled protein receptors, 7-transmembrane receptors, and other integral membrane proteins constitute more than 40% of new drug targets. The new kits — the novel hydrophilic ProteOn LCP liposome capturing kit and the lipophilic ProteOn GLC lipid kit — stably and selectively capture lipids and lipid assemblies for easier screening and analysis of membrane protein targets during drug discovery.

ProteOn LCP Liposome Capturing Kit

The ProteOn LCP sensor employs memLayer technology to selectively and stably capture lipid assemblies. The “native-lipid like” environment of the chip surface where proteins are captured ensures high quality data.

"The memLayer approach offers an interesting alternative,” said Maria Pavlaki, a senior researcher at Democritus University of Thrace in Greece. “The proteins can be in a more native-like environment (lipoparticles or liposomes) that resembles the cell membrane and are not ‘squashed’ on the surface.”

Capable of capturing multiple layers of lipid assemblies, the ProteOn LCP liposome capturing kit SPR kit is the first to allow label-free detection for binding analysis of peptides and small molecules. And, it empowers researchers to gauge drug absorption by monitoring interactions at the lipid’s surface and tracking uptake of molecules into the assembly.

The ProteOn LCP capturing reagent kit, included in the ProteOn LCP liposome capturing kit, is used to activate the LCP sensor chip with a biotinylated DNA tag that then hybridizes to DNA-tagged lipid assemblies containing membrane proteins of interest.

The surface is easily regenerated with water and ready for re-use.

ProteOn GLC Lipid Kit

The ProteOn GLC lipid kit provides researchers with a basic, easy-to-use option to study interactions of membranes with proteins and peptides. Biopharmaceutical researchers use the kit to capture lipoparticles containing membrane protein drug targets of interest. Antibodies against those drug targets are then screened to measure binding kinetics, an important step in biotherapeutic development.

Researchers can customize the lipophilicity of the GLC sensor surface before capturing lipid assemblies (e.g. proteoliposomes and lipoparticles) by controlling the amount of alkylamine that is bound to the sensor surface. This provides greater experimental flexibility and, because the surface is stable and regenerable, researchers have greater confidence in the quality of data collected over the course of a screening protocol.

"I am very happy with the GLC lipid kit,” said Fang Yi, Ph.D., a scientist at Janssen Biotech “It’s rather straightforward, with very stable capture, high capacity, reproducibility, and also low non-specific binding. I would definitely like to use it for my future lipoparticle characterization studies.”

For more information on the ProteOn LCP liposome capturing kit, visit bit.ly/LCP_LiposomeCapturing. To learn more about the ProteOn GLC Lipid Kit, visit http://bit.ly/GLC_Lipid.

About Bio-Rad

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: BIO and BIOb) has remained at the center of scientific discovery for more than 50 years, manufacturing and distributing a broad range of products for the life science research and clinical diagnostic markets. The Company is renowned worldwide among hospitals, universities, major research institutions, as well as biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies for its commitment to quality and customer service. Founded in 1952, Bio-Rad is headquartered in Hercules, California, and serves more than 100,000 research and industry customers worldwide through its global network of operations. The company employs over 7,100 people globally and had revenues exceeding $2 billion in 2011. For more information, visit www.bio-rad.com.

This release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as, “believe,” “expect,” “may,” “will,” “intend,” “estimate,” “continue,” or similar expressions or the negative of those terms or expressions. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to vary materially from those expressed in or indicated by the forward-looking statements. For further information regarding the Company's risks and uncertainties, please refer to the “Risk Factors” in the Company’s public reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. The Company cautions you not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which reflect an analysis only and speak only as of the date hereof. Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

For more information contact:

Laura Moriarty

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.

510-741-4017

laura_moriarty@bio-rad.com

Ken Li

Chempetitive Group

312-997-2436 x 109

kli@chempetitive.com

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