Almac Announces that AstraZeneca is to Undertake Evaluation FLEXYTE Protein Kinase Assays

Almac Group Ltd and Edinburgh Instruments Ltd announce that AstraZeneca is to carry out an evaluation of the newly launched FLEXYTE™ protein kinase assay platform.

During the evaluation period AstraZeneca will assess the performance of the FLEXYTE™ platform in its laboratories against specific targets of interest.

‘We are delighted that AstraZeneca have shown this level of interest in our proprietal protein kinase assay platform. Their evaluation of FLEXYTE™ indicates the potential of fluorescence lifetime as a reporting modality for kinase assays’ said Stephen Barr Almac Sciences’ President and Managing Director.

FLEXYTE™ assays harness the potential of fluorescence lifetime and applies it to the process of assaying kinase activity and marks a successful collaboration between Almac Sciences, Edinburgh Instruments and DundeeUniversity.

Avoiding radioactivity, antibodies and associated costs, fluorescent lifetime technology enables homogenous, robust and reliable assays with minimized interference from problem compounds, and will allow miniaturization, and multiplexing, while maintaining an information-rich output.

Generic substrates enable fluorescent lifetime assays to be configured for a broad panel of Ser/Thr protein kinases in a rapid fashion, covering over 100 different kinases – and with performance comparable to radiometric assays.

FLEXYTE™ assay reagents and protocols are available in bulk form, for high throughput screening, or kit form, for lower capacity assays.

-ENDS-

For further information contact:

Robert Grundy

Director Research Alliances Almac Group Ltd. T: +44 (0) 28 3839 5794 E: [email protected]   W:  www.flexyte-assays.com

Tristan Jervis Account Director  De Facto Communications 330 High Holborn London WC1V 7QD T: +44 (0)207 861 3838 E: [email protected] Notes for Editors:

• FLEXYTE™ dedicated technical presentations and supporting data are available on request to [email protected]. •  To find out more about FLEXYTE™, visit www.flexyte-assays.com

AboutFLEXYTE™ FLEXYTE™ harnesses the power and potential of fluorescence lifetime technology for robust, efficient and economical screening of protein kinases.

FLEXYTE™ assays have already been developed for 11 different representative protein kinases. Protease assays will follow in the near future, with lipid kinases also in development. The protein kinase programme marks a successful collaboration between Almac Sciences, Edinburgh Instruments and DundeeUniversity.

Avoiding radioactivity, antibodies and associated costs, fluorescent lifetime technology enables homogenous, robust and reliable assays with minimized interference from problem compounds, and will allow miniaturization, and multiplexing, while maintaining an information-rich output.

Generic substrates enable fluorescent lifetime assays to be configured for a broad panel of

Ser/Thr protein kinases in a rapid fashion, covering over 100 different kinases – and with performance comparable to radiometric assays. The FLEXYTE™ approach is applicable to any protein kinase having the appropriate peptide substrates. Assay reagents and protocols will be available in bulk form for high throughput screening or in kit form for lower capacity assays.

About Almac Group: Almac is a financially stable, privately owned organisation with over 30 years experience, it provides integrated development solutions to over 600 customers worldwide including all the world leaders in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors. Their services include R&D, translational genomic services; API manufacture; formulation development; clinical trial supply and technology (IVRS/IWRS/ePRO) and commercial-scale manufacture.

The company has over 2,600 employees and is headquartered in Craigavon, Northern Ireland, where it was awarded “Business of the Year 2009”.  US operations are based in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and California.  Construction of the company’s new $112m North American Headquarters in PA started in July 2008 and will be completed in 2010.

For more information about the Almac Group, please visit almacgroup.com or e-mail [email protected].

About Edinburgh Instruments: Since its establishment in 1971, Edinburgh Instruments Ltd has become recognised as a leading light in the photonics and electro-optics industries. It is now located in purpose built facilities just outside Edinburgh, where it employs around 60 people.

Over the years Edinburgh Instruments has continually sought to diversify and develop new and innovative products, winning many international design, technology and export achievement awards.

The company has pioneered developments in time resolved fluorescence for over 30 years with some 600 research spectrometers used world-wide in industries as diverse as medical, bio-physical, plasma and semiconductor research, chemical analysis, forensic science, to cutting and marking in industrial applications.

For more information about Edinburgh Instruments please visit www.edinst.com or e-mail [email protected].