Business Editors

SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 12, 2002

Scimagix(TM) Inc., the pioneer of enterprise image informatics solutions for pharmaceutical and biotechnology research and development (R&D), today announced that it will collaborate with Hyseq Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq:HYSQ) to develop image informatics solutions for cell-based screening. Image informatics is the integration of valuable image and non-image data into an enterprise-wide and scalable, multi-site software system allowing scientists to search, mine and analyze results. Based on Scimagix's Scientific Image Management System (SIMS(TM)), this solution will support Hyseq's screening facility with image informatics software and provide an R&D infrastructure that allows the company to meet the highest standards of data security and integrity according to FDA guidelines. As part of this transaction, Hyseq will provide key input for the further development of Scimagix's cell-based screening solutions.

"Cell-based assays and automated imaging are becoming increasingly valuable to drug discovery and genomic research. We are excited about this opportunity to significantly enhance the management of our image data and analyzed output," commented Michael Sjaastad, director of cell biology and screening for Hyseq Pharmaceuticals. "Scimagix is uniquely positioned to rapidly incorporate these capabilities into an industry-wide environment."

"Scimagix's collaboration with Hyseq is a wonderful opportunity to address the image informatics needs of its cell-based screening group," said Robert Dunkle, CEO, Scimagix. "Hyseq is an ideal site for the use of automated imaging and cell-based assays for drug discovery, and this partnership will facilitate the evolution of SIMS for use in a diverse cellular screening environment that implements a wide range of cellular image data mining techniques critical to drug discovery."

Hyseq has a proprietary collection of novel gene sequences that hold potential therapeutic value. Many assays used to determine the utility of these molecules are run on automated imaging platforms, generating images and analysis results. Scimagix will facilitate data mining, comparisons across assays, and correlation of results, and the enterprise-wide capability of SIMS will link data sets derived from several different assays run with the same Hyseq gene product. The SIMS database will render this data readily accessible for use in drug discovery and development.

SIMS, the infrastructure platform of Scimagix's enterprise image management system, allows researchers to search, mine and analyze image data, and to integrate image data with other types of research data. SIMS is the only open, scalable, Web-deployed enterprise image management system built on an Oracle(R) database. Recognizing the value of image data in accelerating drug discovery and development, eight of the leading 15 pharmaceutical companies use the Scimagix image informatics system.

SIMS features Image Navigation, a unique capability that enables dynamic ontology searching, allowing researchers to automatically arrange data in accordance with a hierarchy of specified image descriptors. For example, a researcher might elect to sort a data sample according to the anatomical origin of the sample, the drug under investigation, and the drug dosage per administration. By simply selecting the "change view" option of the Image Navigation feature, a researcher can view the data according to a different set of criteria or cross-reference the data by combining two or more parameters.

Scimagix's GxP and 21 CFR Part 11 initiatives deliver on the company's commitment to provide an R&D infrastructure that allows pharmaceutical companies to meet the highest standards of data security and integrity while maintaining the flexibility to solve day-to-day, image-based problems. Under 21 CFR Part 11, the FDA defines requirements for the control of electronic data and systems as an alternative to paper submissions, making the ability to audit, sign, archive and retrieve information in electronic format critical. Using SIMS, scientists can manage all image-based data.

About Scimagix Inc.

Scimagix(TM) Inc., based in San Mateo, Calif., is the leading provider of image informatics solutions for pharmaceutical research and development (R&D). Its flagship SIMS(TM) (Scientific Image Management System) platform, an Oracle(R)/Web-based database management system, utilizes open architecture to provide researchers with a comprehensive and searchable image database. The Scimagix Application Suite supports high throughput analysis and mining of image data with its proprietary visual content search technology, dramatically increasing the accuracy and productivity of R&D processes. Scimagix serves eight of the top 15 pharmaceutical companies including Pfizer Global R&D and Eli Lilly & Co.