Woburn, MA and St. Louis, MO (February 20, 2002) – U.S. Genomics has established a research collaboration with Dr. Pui-Yan Kwok, a leading researcher focused on genetics and technology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Under the collaboration, Dr. Kwok’s laboratory will employ U.S. Genomics’ direct, linear DNA analysis technology. The technology will be used for a multitude of applications, including reconfirming areas of interest in the genome, generating new sequence data in previously inaccessible regions, and mapping regions of interest. Dr. Kwok will also work with U.S. Genomics to extend the development of the Company’s technology platform towards additional applications in the field of genetics. Financial terms of the collaboration were not disclosed.

U.S. Genomics is the pioneer of direct, linear DNA analysis, a technology allowing ultra-fast genetic analysis. The Company’s technology generates information on the genome at rates exponentially higher than those of other existing technologies. Using direct, linear readings of long, contiguous segments of DNA, U.S. Genomics’ GeneEngine™ platform captures comprehensive genetic data at very high speeds, offering researchers a technology that has the potential to decode entire genomes in short time scales and under commercially relevant parameters.

“We are still very early in the understanding of genetics as a science. A central unmet need of the genetics community is the availability of a core technology platform to generate information on genetic variations on a whole-genome scale,” noted Dr. Kwok. “This collaboration with U.S. Genomics will allow us to evaluate the potential of the Company’s technology and to use it to explore new broad-based applications in haplotyping and other areas of fundamental genetic research. I am delighted to have access to a such a groundbreaking technology.”

“Dr. Kwok and his colleagues are at the frontier of our understanding of the human genome and of how its vast data can be accessed,” commented Eugene Chan, Chairman and CEO of U.S. Genomics. “We anticipate that this research partnership will help us expand our base of experience with the GeneEngine™ platform and validate our approach. Equally important, Dr. Kwok will co-develop with us enhancements to the technology itself, with the ultimate goal of creating a technology able to power the commercialization of genomic information.”

The U.S. Genomics GeneEngine™
The GeneEngine™ is a broad applications-based technology platform that enables direct, linear analysis of DNA. The GeneEngine™ technology allows the reading of long contiguous strands of DNA of up to several million base-pairs with ultra-high throughputs. The nanotechnology platform works analogously to a DVD player, with labeled sequences on the DNA strand moving past a fixed point that reads and identifies the sequences in real-time. Compared to competing technologies, the system has the capability to generate genetic information at a cost that is 100,000 times cheaper, read DNA at a rate that is 25,000 times faster, and produce data in a format that is more comprehensive. Direct, linear DNA analysis has the potential to enable the deciphering of entire genomes in real-time.

About U.S. Genomics, Inc.
U.S. Genomics (USG) is the pioneer of breakthrough technologies for direct, linear analysis of DNA for the global life sciences industry. U.S. Genomics’ GeneEngine™ technologies incorporate advances in nanotechnology, molecular biology, engineering, and biophysics to create products for ultra high-throughput, comprehensive genetic analysis. U.S. Genomics is currently focused on providing technology solutions to the life sciences market, including access to its instruments, reagents, and intellectual property. The Company has established research collaborations with The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and Dr. Kwok of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. For more information, please visit www.usgenomics.com.