October 23, 2001 (Deutsche Fassung)

Partnership to elucidate the regulation of the human genome

Montreal, Canada and Munich, Germany, October 23, 2001 - Montreal-based Geneka Biotechnology Inc., specialized in Proteomic Regulators (Transcriptions Factors and co-activators or co-repressors or chromatin associated proteins) and Genomatix Software GmbH, a Munich bioinformatic firm specialized in genome regulation, announce a multilevel strategic alliance allowing both companies to use their expertise combining bioinformatic and platform technologies to increase the understanding of gene regulation and its direct relation to diseases.

Geneka Biotechnology Inc. currently markets the P.R.O.M.™ DNA microarray chip carrying probes for all known or suspected human Transcription Regulators available from public genome sequences.

Genomatix Software GmbH will provide unique proprietary bioinformatics services for the analysis of the data generated by the P.R.O.M.™. This will contribute to the identification of key regulators, thus responding to the huge demand for more specific data analysis currently witnessed in the field.

The first aspect of this alliance will translate into a complete analysis package centred on the expression of human Proteomic Regulators, the proteins responsible for the proper expression of the human genome and their respective networks. The collaboration between the two companies will allow the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry to have access to a peerless analysis system to discover how genes are regulated in many diseases.

This will create new therapeutical avenues helping the industry to find new ways to cure diseases by subsequent analysis of compounds screened and validated through Geneka's platform technologies using genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatic softwares from Genomatix.

October 8, 2001 (Deutsche Fassung)

Genomatix Offers Free of Charge Software Access to all Academic Researchers

MatInspector professional is a computer program for the identification of transcription factor binding sites in genomic DNA. MatInspector professional is the widely enhanced commercial version of formerly released MatInspector. When it comes to the analysis of DNA for transcription factor binding sites, MatInspector has become the de facto standard worldwide. Transcription factors play a crucial role in the regulation of genes. Recent estimates of only about 30,000 genes in the human genome, thus covering around 3% of the genome, underline the importance of complex regulatory networks. Many diseases like cancer result from dysregulation involving transcription factors and their binding sites at DNA.

"Genomatix is a spin-off company of an academic research center", says Kerstin Cartharius, Executive Vice President of Genomatix and main author of MatInspector. "We value our ties into the academic community very highly and have a tradition of supporting public academic research. With this move we want to enable academic researchers around the world to utilize cutting edge technology for their important contribution to understand the mechanisms of life", she continues. "All we require is a short online registration form and the researcher will immediately have online access to the continuously updated latest version of MatInspector professional", she concludes.

Genomatix Software GmbH is a pioneer in the in silico functional analysis of genomic sequences and specializes in transcriptional regulation. Genomatix developed PromoterInspector, the first and so far only commercially available program for specific prediction of mammalian promoters in entire genomes. Genomatix has analyzed the entire human genome for promoters and created a database with over 24,000 unique human promoters (GPR). It also developed proprietary technology for subsequent functional in silico analysis of these promoters (GEMS Launcher), enabling reverse engineering from DNA level to regulatory networks. MatInspector professional is integral part of GEMS Launcher and can be accessed via http://www.genomatix.de.

Features of MatInspector professional include:

• Extended and completely reorganized matrix library.
• Individually optimized matrix similarity thresholds for all matrices
• Grouping of functionally similar matrices into families
• Significant reduction of false positive matches
• User-defined matrix subsets can be saved for subsequent analyses
• Pre-defined IUPAC libraries (e.g. restriction sites, retroviral primer binding sites)

October 8, 2001 (Deutsche Fassung)

Genomatix Software GmbH receives 1,3 million Deutschmarks grant to enhance development of bioinformatics tools for gene regulation

Within the framework of the grant program "Bioinformatics for the functional analysis of mammalian genomes (BFAM)", the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research has awarded Genomatix DM 1.3 million (US$ 630,000.-).

This grant contributes to a much larger Genomatix R & D project with the aim to improve quality of identification and annotation of mammalian promoters. Subsequently Genomatix will contribute to the elucidation of regulatory networks on DNA level through comparative genomics. "Promoters are the turntable of life". says Dr. Thomas Werner, founder and CEO of Genomatix. "Almost any cellular regulation finally involves promoters. This is especially important for regulatory diseases like cancer. We are going to close the gap between the terabytes of existing experimental information about gene regulation and its molecular basis on DNA level." he continues.

The grant is part of a major initiative to push the national gene research network by strengthening and bringing together the best partners from the areas of science and economics. This will be a substantial contribution to the elucidation of the genetic and molecular causes of diseases.

Genomatix Software GmbH is a pioneer in the in silico functional analysis of genomic sequences and specializes in transcriptional regulation. Genomatix developed PromoterInspector, the first and so far only commercially available program for specific prediction of mammalian promoters in entire genomes. Genomatix has analyzed the entire human genome for promoters and created a database with over 24,000 unique human promoters. It also developed proprietary technology for subsequent functional in silico analysis of these promoters (GEMS Launcher), enabling reverse engineering from DNA level to regulatory networks.