Leading Edge R&D:

MDS PROTEOMICS UNVEILS PepSea TECHNOLOGY

MDS Proteomics, a leading proteomics-based drug discovery company, announced the addition of its PepSea technology, an advanced tool for protein identification, to its bioinformatics technology platform. PepSea now provides researchers with the tools to identify expressed proteins directly in the human genome using mass spectrometric data. By implementing the technology on the company's high-speed supercomputing clusters, MDS Proteomics will have the ability to identify high-quality drug targets faster, thereby speeding the development of new medicines.

Unraveling the mystery of protein activity is one of the largest challenges in scientific research and a key driver in the development of tools that enable the quick identification of high quality targets. Current proteomics technologies can only identify already known proteins or proteins predicted from genomic data. PepSea goes one step beyond, enabling the identification of unknown proteins with no prediction necessary. PepSea also can, in seconds, determine the location and identity of human genes that encode the proteins. Because of the error tolerance inherent in the PepSea algorithm, proteins can even be identified regardless of intervening sequences ("junk DNA" and introns), which make up the majority of human DNA.

This scientific breakthrough was recently announced in the journal Proteomics by Dr. Matthias Mann and his academic group at the University of Southern Denmark, Odense, together with researchers at MDS Proteomics in Odense, Denmark.

"By allowing protein identification directly in raw human genome sequence, PepSea enables us to determine the identity and location of any human gene given an absolute minimum amount of protein," said Dr. Mann, chief proteomics officer of MDS Proteomics.

Using just a fraction of the available power of its IBM multinode supercomputing cluster used for mining genomic sequence databases, MDS Proteomics is able to search the entire human genome in less than 5 seconds, fundamentally changing the rules of mass spectrometry. This is the first time this capability has been demonstrated. Based on the established application "PeptideSearch" developed by Mann, PepSea provides searches that are faster, error tolerant and of superior specificity.

"Our integrated proteomics platform will lead the way to the discovery of many novel proteins and post-translational modifications, which are implicated in disease," said Frank Gleeson, president and chief executive officer of MDS Proteomics. "We expect this combination of technologies and expertise to broaden the scientific base from which, we and our pharmaceutical partners, will ultimately develop new therapeutic and diagnostic products."

About Proteomics

Proteins regulate the activities of cells, tissues and organs. Interactions among proteins can trigger chemical reactions within cells that play a key role in diseases and ailments such as cancer, AIDS and depression. The emerging field of proteomics -- the study of protein location, interaction, structure and function -- aims to identify and characterize the proteins present in normal and diseased biological samples. Abnormalities in protein production or function have been connected to many diseases and health conditions, so the ability to modulate proteins represents an attractive target for drug design.

About MDS Proteomics

A pioneer in the field of proteomic-enabled drug discovery, MDS Proteomics' goal is to significantly improve the productivity of the pharmaceutical industry in discovering and developing new medicines for the treatment of disease. The company has developed exceptional capabilities in proteomics systems, technology, supercomputing, drug design, screening and biology and is uniquely positioned to build an effective bridge between gene discovery and therapeutic development. This distinctive capability is being used in collaborations with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies as well as for the development of the company's own product pipeline. In its proteomics facilities in Europe and North America, the company focuses on drug target discovery and validation for both antibody and small molecule therapeutics. MDS Proteomics is a majority-owned subsidiary of MDS Inc. For more information on MDS Proteomics, visit the company's Website at www.mdsproteomics.com.

About MDS Inc

MDS Inc is an international health and life sciences company that is focused on fighting disease in numerous ways. Its products and services include: laboratory testing, imaging agents for nuclear medicine testing, sterilization systems for medical and consumer products, research and clinical development services for planning and delivery of cancer treatment, analytical instruments to assist in the development of new drugs, and medical/surgical supplies. MDS employs more than 10,000 highly skilled people at its global operations on four continents. Detailed information about the company is available at the MDS Web site at www.mdsintl.com.

Contact MDS Proteomics, Toronto, Debora Smith, 416-213-4088, dsmith@mdsproteomics.com.