Hayward, CA - October 1, 2002 - Biolog, Inc. announced today that it has licensed its new Phenotype MicroArray (PM) technology to The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) under a collaborative agreement.

Phenotype MicroArrays represent a fundamental technology platform which allows scientists to easily and efficiently test hundreds to thousands of cellular traits simultaneously. The technology has the promise of determining cellular phenotypic expression in many areas of research. The two most important near term applications are using PMs to determine the effect and response in living cells to genetic changes and exposure to drugs and chemicals.

TIGR will use the PM technology to understand and characterize phenotypes of different strains of bacteria, specifically focused on strains of Salmonella typhimurium, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Synechococcus sp. and Escherichia coli. The phenotypic data derived from these experiments will be interpreted in conjunction with comparative genomic and microarray experiments being done at TIGR.

Ian Paulsen, the TIGR faculty member leading the phenotype microarray analyses said, "We hope to be able to complement our existing genome sequencing, bioinformatic and expression microarray capabilities with Biolog's phenotype microarray technology to further our understanding of microbial cell function."

"In our own laboratories we are demonstrating that the PM phenotypic data alone can provide invaluable information about how and where genes are expressing themselves in model cell lines. It is our hope that by linking the PM results to gene expression data we can efficiently identify how genes are regulating various cellular pathways in these target cells" said Barry Bochner, Vice President of R&D for Biolog, Inc.

Biolog has installed their proprietary OmniLog® System for high-throughput kinetic analysis of the PM panels at TIGR. The Phenotype MicroArray panels are sets of approximately 2,000 cellular assays that enable comparative analyses of a variety of metabolic and drug sensitivity changes in cells. TIGR will initially be testing bacterial strains. Mutant strains will be analyzed for phenotypic changes using the PM technology and results will then be compared to the phenotypes of the normal cell line.

Under the terms of the agreement, TIGR and Biolog, Inc. will share certain intellectual property rights from new discoveries identified using the PM technology. Biolog and TIGR have agreed to exclusively license any discoveries that have potential commercial applications. Financial terms of the collaboration are not being disclosed by the parties.

Biolog has an active technology-licensing program to use the current generation of PMs for research using bacterial and fungal model cell lines. The company is developing similar arrays for use with mammalian cell lines.

The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) is a not-for-profit research institute whose primary research interests are in structural, functional and comparative analysis of genomes and gene products from a wide variety of organisms including viruses, eubacteria (both pathogens and non-pathogens), archaea (the so-called third domain of life), and eukaryotes (plants, animals, fungi and protists such as the malarial parasite).

Biolog, a privately held company based in Hayward, CA, is a pioneer in the development of powerful new cell analysis tools for solving critical problems in clinical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology research and development. The company's Phenotype MicroArray technology and OmniLog® PM System can be used in the discovery and development of new drugs as well as bioactive agents for animal and plant applications. Further information can be obtained at the company's website, www.biolog.com.

For more information, please contact Tim Mullane, President & CEO, Biolog, Inc., telephone (510) 785-2564 x 319 / tmullane@biolog.com or Robert Koenig, Public Affairs Manager, The Institute for Genomic Research, telephone (301) 838-5880 / rkoenig@tigr.org