Nanogen, Inc. (Nasdaq: NGEN), San Diego, producer of the only commercially available electronic microarray, has announced the placement of ten additional NanoChip(TM) Molecular Biology Workstations. The ten placements include one sale, eight development site agreements and one expanded research

The University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada purchased one NanoChip(TM) Molecular Biology Workstation in December 2000, which researchers at the institution plan to use in research programs in toxicogenomics and public health microbiology. The research program in toxicogenomics is intended to assess potential health impacts posed by chemicals in the environment by identifying relevant DNA-sequence polymorphisms with suspected roles in determining individual sensitivity to chemicals. The research program in public health microbiology is intended to develop molecular methods for the identification and characterization of different pathogens with an initial focus on enteric microorganisms.

Under Nanogen's Development Site Program, the NanoChip(TM) Molecular Biology Workstations were placed in December 2000 at The University of Pennsylvania, The Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., The University of Minnesota, Stanford University, The University of California, San Diego, The University of Chicago, Statens Serum Institut, Denmark, and The National Cancer Institute at Frederick.

The Molecular Pathology Laboratory of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a leading molecular diagnostics laboratory, plans to research and develop spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) carrier testing on the NanoChip(TM) Molecular Biology Workstation. SMA, a devastating disease that affects 1 in 6,000 live births, is the second most common lethal recessive disease after cystic fibrosis.

The Research Center for Genetic Medicine at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., a major pediatric medical center and a leader in the application of microarray technology to human disease research and diagnosis, will conduct research and development with the intent to transfer highly specialized genetic tests, including those for genes causing patients to experience sudden attacks of muscle paralysis and for the gene causing severe autism in girls (Rett Syndrome), to the NanoChip(TM) Molecular Biology Workstation.

The Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Minnesota, a leader in molecular genetic testing in Minneapolis, Minnesota, plans to use the NanoChip(TM) Molecular Biology Workstation to accelerate the development of a multiplexed oncogene analysis for evaluation of cytology specimens in cancer diagnostics.

The Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, California, a leader in genetic research and molecular biology and the applications of such research to medical care and biotechnology, will use the NanoChip(TM) Molecular Biology Workstation to study differential gene expression in cancers originating in a variety of tissues.

The School of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, a leading biomedical research institution in La Jolla, California, plans to use the NanoChip(TM) Molecular Biology Workstation to evaluate bipolar disorders, small infectious organisms, chronic leukemia lymphomas and ATP binding cassette transporter proteins which transport various molecules across membranes.

The University of Chicago, a leader in genetics research in Chicago, Illinois, in collaboration with Dr. Edwin Cook, Director of the Laboratory of Developmental Neuroscience, will use the NanoChip(TM) Molecular Biology Workstation to study the molecular genetics of autism, attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder, childhood onset obsessive-compulsive disorder, stuttering, adolescent depression, and pediatric and early onset bipolar mood disorder.

Statens Serum Institut, the National Central Laboratory of the Danish Health System and the largest provider of biochemical and genetic screening in Denmark, will use the NanoChip(TM) Molecular Biology Workstation to develop new methods for prenatal care including evaluating the significance of mannan binding lectin as a marker of risk for infection and miscarriage.

The Laboratory of Molecular Technology in The National Cancer Institute at Frederick, which provides leadership for cancer research in the United States for thousands of NCI-funded researchers across the United States and the world, plans to use the NanoChip(TM) Molecular Biology Workstation in three research applications: identification of allelic imbalance in esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma, development of a complimentary technology for the validation of microarray transcription profiling results and development of technology for the identification of specific protein-nucleic acid (i.e. DNA or RNA) interactions.

Nanogen's Development Site Program

Nanogen has established the Development Site Program to actively collaborate with selected customers in strategically important market segments (including clinical research, the research divisions of reference diagnostic laboratories and genomics, pharmaceutical, biotechnology and agrochemical companies) in the development of assays on the Nanogen platform. Under these agreements, collaborating companies and institutions provide expertise and/or intellectual property in exchange for preferential access to Nanogen's technology. After applications are validated, the collaborating institutions may purchase the NanoChip(TM) Molecular Biology Workstation and NanoChip(TM) cartridges for use in their operations.

About Nanogen's Customers

University of Alberta, Canada

Opened in 1908, the University of Alberta is one of Canada's largest research-intensive universities, with external research funding in 1998/99 of more than $170 million. The University of Alberta is a leader in addressing environmental health issues in large-scale community health studies that integrate exposure measurements with biological markers and subtle health effects. The University of Alberta is initiating research programs in toxicogenomics with primary objectives to include the identification of relevant DNA-sequence polymorphisms with suspected roles in determining individual sensitivity to chemicals and the analysis of gene expression patterns to study gene-environmental interactions.

The University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) is distinguished not only by its historical significance -- first hospital (1751), first medical school (1765), first university teaching hospital (1874), first fully integrated academic health system (1993) -- but also by its position as a major player on the world stage of medicine in the 21st century. Committed to a three-part mission of education, research, and clinical excellence, UPHS has thrived in all three areas.

The Children's National Medical Center

The Research Center for Genetic Medicine at Children's is an international referral site for specialized genetic tests, particularly those for muscle and nerve disorders. The Center is directed by Dr. Eric Hoffman, who is a leader in the application of microarray technology to human disease research and diagnosis.

The University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota has two medical schools, one in Minneapolis and the other in Duluth, Minnesota. The medical center campus in Minneapolis is internationally known for its ongoing and pioneering work in the areas of cancer medicine and transplantation. The clinical laboratories at Fairview- University Medical Center are directed by faculty from the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology. Dr. Ronald C. McGlennen, Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School and Medical Director of the Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory at Fairview-University Medical Center and director of research using the NanoChip(TM) Molecular Biology Workstation, is a member of that faculty. The Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory is one of the first and largest clinical laboratories dedicated to molecular genetic testing and plans to incorporate the Nanogen technology into several areas of its clinical service.

Stanford University Medical School

The Stanford University School of Medicine is a world-class training ground for future leaders in biomedical research and medical practice. The school, which originated in 1858, has been internationally recognized for its contributions to biomedical science and patient care.

UCSD Medical School

The Medical School at the University of California, San Diego, is one of the nation's top-ranked academic institutions devoted to medical research, education and health care services. For almost three decades, the school's bench to bedside approach to medicine has made it a nationally recognized center for health care, biomedical research and medical education.

The University of Chicago

The University of Chicago Hospitals is non-profit academic medical center which includes: Bernard Mitchell Hospital, Chicago Lying-In Hospital, The Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine and Weiss Memorial Hospital. Closely linked in their effort to provide outstanding patient care, investigate the causes and treatment of disease and educate physicians and scientists, the Hospitals form the clinical arm of the University of Chicago Division of Biological Sciences. Special programs include a National Cancer Research Center, a National Diabetes Research and Training Center, a National Clinical Research Center, the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute for research in molecular biology and molecular genetics amongst others.

Statens Serum Institut

Statens Serum Institut (SSI) is the National Central Laboratory of the Danish Health System. It is also the largest Danish provider of biochemical and genetic screening. SSI is organized as a state-owned enterprise and a sectoral research institute under the Danish Ministry of Health. SSI carries out research within its core areas that include, apart from biochemical and genetic screening, microbiology, immunology and epidemiology. SSI's services are offered on competitive and commercial terms to the Danish Health System and to other national and international customers and collaborating partners.

The National Cancer Institute At Frederick

The National Cancer Institute at Fredrick (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, is the federal government's leading agency for cancer research. In FY2000, the NCI budget was $3 billion, most of which was used to fund grants and contracts to universities, medical schools, cancer centers, research laboratories, and private firms in the United States and about 20 countries around the world. The balance of the funds supported research activities at NCI.

About Nanogen

Nanogen recently began marketing its NanoChip(TM) Molecular Biology Workstation to scientists and genomics laboratories, setting new standards for SNP scoring. Nanogen is developing a series of electronics-based products to help researchers and clinical healthcare providers accelerate their practical understanding and use of genomic information. The products introduced and under development are intended to provide quick and accurate analysis of DNA, RNA and proteins, "bridging" both the research and clinical diagnostic settings. The NanoChip(TM) Molecular Biology Workstation is intended for research use only and not for use in diagnostic procedures.

For additional information, visit http://www.nanogen.com or call 858-410-4600.