MDCC Molecular Devices (MM)

Molecular Devices Introduces IMAP(R) Substrate Finder for Tyrosine Kinases SUNNYVALE, Calif., Sept. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Molecular Devices Corporation (NASDAQ:MDCC) today announced the introduction of its IMAP(R) Substrate Finder for Tyrosine kinases, following the release of its initial Substrate Finder for Serine/Threonine kinases in March. Together, they provide substrates for the two categories of kinases that make up the human kinome. The Substrate Finders for Tyrosine and Serine/Threonine kinases are based on Molecular Devices' IMAP platform, which provides advanced tools for assay development and high throughput screening (HTS) of kinases, one of the most important target classes in drug discovery today. The development of successful drugs that target kinases, such as Gleevac and Iressa which selectively target cancer cells but leave healthy cells unharmed, is being aggressively pursued by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, who are looking for quicker, easier solutions for targeting kinase inhibitors. Kinases are important because they play a critical role in the transmission of signals, both within and between cells; any interference with their function can lead to adverse effects. It is estimated that kinase malfunction contributes to more than 400 diseases, including cancer, inflammatory disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and neurological disorders. One of the major roadblocks facing pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies searching for potential drug targets for these diseases is finding a suitable substrate. The IMAP Substrate Finder accelerates the difficult task of finding new substrates by providing a quick, sensitive, yet inexpensive method to screen dozens of substrates in a couple of hours versus days or weeks. "Kinase inhibitors are important drug targets that are screened at all major pharmaceutical companies. They represent a new generation of drugs that target the underlying molecular processes of the cell and are in a position to radically change the future treatments for cancer and other diseases," stated Stephen Oldfield, Ph.D. and Vice President of Worldwide Marketing at Molecular Devices. "Molecular Devices' IMAP technology continues to meet the growing demands of high throughput screening, with its stable signal, precision, inherent flexibility and the ease in which it is incorporated into all kinase screening. It is rapidly becoming the preferred assay to screen for kinase activity. With the IMAP Substrate Finder, the pace of assay development and screening for unique or proprietary kinases is accelerated with the same ease of miniaturization and low cost-per-well that IMAP users have come to expect." Molecular Devices Corporation is a leading supplier of high-performance bioanalytical measurement systems that accelerate and improve drug discovery and other life sciences research. The Company's systems and consumables enable pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to leverage advances in genomics, proteomics and combinatorial chemistry by facilitating the high- throughput and cost-effective identification and evaluation of drug candidates. The Company's solutions are based on its advanced core technologies that integrate its expertise in engineering, molecular and cell biology and chemistry. Molecular Devices enables its customers to improve research productivity and effectiveness, which ultimately accelerates the complex process of discovering and developing new drugs. This press release contains "forward-looking" statements, including statements related to the prospects for or potential customer use of the IMAP� Substrate Finder. Any statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Words such as "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the results of Molecular Devices Corporation to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including, among others, risks related to the development of new products and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003, as amended, and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2004. Molecular Devices Corporation does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements. DATASOURCE: Molecular Devices Corporation CONTACT: Tim Harkness of Molecular Devices Corporation, +1-408-747-3533 Web site: http://www.moleculardevices.com/

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