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TissueInformatics Secures Notice of Allowance for Industry’s First Patent Featured Database Construction

 

January 30th, 2003 — TissueInformatics.Inc — "The Tissue Information Company®".
Pittsburgh

TissueInformatics.Inc announced today that the company has secured a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent Office for the Industry's first patent covering tissue feature database construction.

As allowed, this Patent will cover a computer-implemented method of compiling and providing a database of structural, cell function or mechanical feature values for a defined set of tissue specimens. Subscribers to a database built by this method will have access to an array of feature data characterizing the normal or abnormal states of specific human or animal tissue types.

Under this Notice of Allowance, the allowed claims specify that the database of feature values for tissue structural elements shall include measures of cell density, matrix density, blood vessel density, and layer thickness. Similar claims have also been granted to TissueInformatics with respect to the construction of similar databases consisting of a distribution of values for certain cell function indices such as cell location, cell type and amount of DNA, mRNA, or cellular proteins, ions or lipids or for mechanical function indices including modulus of elasticity or mechanical strength.

"To our knowledge, this will be the first patent for a method of constructing a database of tissue information representative of normal and diseased tissues. We are now anticipating further favorable action on additional patent applications related to the analysis of tissue." said Dr. Peter Johnson, MD, TissueInformatics Chairman and CEO.

This is the second Notice of Allowance announced by TissueInformatics this month. Most recently, the company announced it had also received a Notice of Allowance for a key patent application for the robust detection and quantification of stain binding in traditional tissue sections and tissue cores of Tissue Microarray (TMA) slides.

TissueInformatics (www.TissueInformatics.com) is the pioneer of automated hyperquantification analysis of normal and pathological tissue. TissueInformatics has revolutionized the tissue analysis process by enabling automated quantitative analysis of tissue and this enables the company to provide the industry with both TissueAnalytics™ Software and TissueAnalytics™ Services.

TissueInformatics industry-wide expertise in tissue image capture and analysis, thorough scientific understanding of tissue morphology and extensive experience in performing daily slide analysis in its own TissueAnalytics™ Laboratory, allows TissueInformatics to provide high capacity tissue analytical services and provide a complete TissueAnalytics™ software solution for implementation within its clients own laboratories.

TissueInformatics lead investors include the Aurora Funds, Birchmere Ventures, the Future Fund, Informax, Manulife Financial, Motorola, Smithfield Trust and Techno Venture Management (TVM).

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Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical are "forward-looking" statements, which involve a high degree of risk and uncertainty. Such statements are only predictions, and the actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to differences include, but are not limited to, risks associated with TissueInformatics.Inc's (the "Company's") dependence upon the creation of strategic alliances with providers for complementary services and products and the need to keep pace with rapid technological change, the Company's dependence for future revenues on its ability to increase sales of its tissue imaging and analysis applications, the development and availability of competitive products or technologies, and the Company's dependence on patents and its ability to defend its intellectual property rights. The Company specifically disclaims any intention or duty to update any forward-looking statements, and these statements represent the Company's current outlook as of the date given.
 

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