Press Release

For Advion:
Kathryn Henion
Advion BioSciences, Inc.
607.266.0665
henionk@advion.com
http://www.advion.com

Media Contact:
Charles Versaggi, Ph.D.
Versaggi Biocommunications
415.397.3087
cv@versaggibio.com

June 9, 2003

Advion Introduces E-Tip™ Sample Cleanup Option for NanoMate™ 100 System at ASMS: On-line Sample Prep Streamlines Analysis Using Millipore ZipTip® Technology

MONTREAL, June 9, 2003 — Advion BioSciences Inc., an Ithaca, N.Y.-based provider of mass spectrometry (MS) services and products to the pharmaceutical industry, today announced it will offer customized sample-cleanup pipette tips with its NanoMate™ 100 automated nanoelectrospray system. The product enhancement, called E-Tip™, was unveiled today at the 51st annual meeting of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS), held at Le Palais des Congrès de Montréal June 8 through June 12.

Offered as an optional product feature, Advion's E-Tip pipette tips enable quick and easy preparation of microliter-scale samples prior to MS analysis. Using Millipore ZipTip® technology specially designed for the NanoMate, the tips allow users to rapidly desalt, purify and concentrate biological samples containing small molecule drugs, metabolites, peptides, small proteins, or oligonucleotides. Samples may be eluted directly from pre-loaded E-Tips to the NanoMate's ESI Chip™ for automated analysis by nanoelectrospray MS.

The E-tip pipette tips can be used with Tomtec's Quadra 3 NS E-Tip processing workstation. This automated liquid-handling system will be demonstrated in Advion’s hospitality suite at ASMS. The system features a specially designed 96-well pipettor head that automatically prepares each E-Tip for presentation to the ESI Chip.

"We are delighted to offer customers E-Tip on-line purification technology as an enhancement to the NanoMate 100," said David Smith, Advion's vice president of North American sales and marketing. "The E-Tip-enabled NanoMate simplifies sample cleanup, concentration and sample introduction to the mass spectrometer, further increasing sample throughput, improving sensitivity and overall analytical capabilities of any electrospray mass spectrometer equipped with a NanoMate."

Direct Elution from E-Tip to Nanoelectrospray MS

Advion's NanoMate 100 robotic system and disposable ESI Chip allow users to take full advantage of the capabilities of electrospray mass spectrometers for life science applications. Integrating the NanoMate with MS allows users to either speed analysis for increased throughput for small molecule and peptide mapping applications, or long acquisition times for proteomics and metabolism applications where greater sample information is needed.

With the E-Tip-enabled NanoMate, a user places a standard 96-tip rack of sample-filled tips directly into the NanoMate. The NanoMate then seals each E-Tip, in a serial fashion, against the inlet of a nozzle on the back of an ESI Chip. The NanoMate applies pneumatic pressure and voltage to deliver a constant fluid flow for nanoelectrospray MS analysis of sample components as they elute off the E-Tip.

NanoMate 100 and ESI Chip

Advion's NanoMate 100 robotic system and integrated ESI Chip unleash the power of nanoelectrospray MS through automation, eliminating the slow and tedious manual operation of conventional nanoelectrospray. The system allows researchers in pharmaceutical development and proteomics to obtain the greatest breadth of information about a sample, without sacrificing throughput or data quality. Comprised of an array of 100 nanoelectrospray nozzles etched in silicon, the disposable ESI Chip provides each sample a unique channel for introduction into the mass spectrometer, eliminating cross contamination between samples. The NanoMate 100 easily mounts to electrospray mass spectrometers, including single and triple quadrupoles, TOF, FT/MS, and ion traps.

About Advion BioSciences Inc.

Founded in 1993, Advion BioSciences Inc., of Ithaca, N.Y., with a wholly-owned subsidiary in the United Kingdom, is a leading provider of mass spectrometry services to the pharmaceutical industry, and a developer of automated, chip-based technology designed to boost the sensitivity, data quality and sample throughput for electrospray mass spectrometers. The privately held company operates one of the world's largest LC/MS contract research facilities. Advion's clients include 13 of the top 15 pharmaceutical companies. For more information see www.advion.com.