ACLA Aclara Biosciences, (MM)

John Weinstein, M.D. Ph.D. Appointed to ACLARA Scientific Advisory Board Prominent NCI Cancer Expert Added to Advisory Board MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Dec. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ACLARA BioSciences announced that John N. Weinstein, M.D. Ph.D. of Bethesda, MD has been appointed to its Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Weinstein's research focus is the molecular pharmacology of cancer cells utilizing techniques such as gene expression profiling and bioinformatics, and the identification and characterization of new agents for the treatment of cancer. ACLARA's advisory board now comprises five internationally-renowned scientists and physicians with interests covering both basic research and clinical treatment of a range of different cancers and immune system disorders. "We are particularly pleased to have a prominent scientist such as Dr. Weinstein join the advisory board as he is actively involved in fundamental cancer research. The application of eTag(TM) assays to the clinical evaluation of potential cancer drugs is emerging as a very exciting opportunity, and we look forward to Dr. Weinstein's advice and counsel as we commercialize this application," commented Thomas Klopack, ACLARA chief executive officer. ACLARA's eTag assays enable pharmaceutical researchers and physicians involved in clinical trials to test patient samples and identify subtle but important protein differences among patients. This information facilitates the identification of those patients most likely to respond to a particular pharmaceutical compound or treatment regimen, based on the disease mechanisms detected at the molecular and cellular level. About ACLARA ACLARA BioSciences, Inc. is commercializing its proprietary eTag Assay System for drug discovery research and to support preclinical and clinical development of specific targeted therapies. The eTag Assay System is a high performance, high throughput system for the simultaneous measurement of 10's to 100's of genes, proteins, and cell-based antigens across thousands of samples. The eTag platform makes it possible for researchers to measure multiple aspects of a complex biological system, enabling the study of gene expression, protein expression, cell signaling and pathway activation, protein-protein interaction, post-translational modifications and cell receptor binding -- all in the same sample and with the same platform. The system uses ACLARA's proprietary eTag reporters to multiplex the analysis of genes and/or proteins. Specific molecular binding events result in the release of electrophoretically distinct eTag reporters, which are then resolved by standard capillary electrophoresis to provide precise, sensitive quantitation of multiple analytes -- directly from cell lysates of cultured or primary cells, as well as fresh and fixed tissue samples. More information on ACLARA can be obtained on the Company's web site at http://www.aclara.com/. Forward Looking Statement All statements in this news release that are not historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as amended. Such forward-looking statements are subject to factors that could cause actual results to differ materially for ACLARA from those projected. Those factors include risks and uncertainties relating to the performance of the Company's products, product development, development and commercialization efforts, successful establishment of and performance under collaborative and commercial agreements, adoption of its technologies by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, the validity and enforceability of patents, the possible infringement of the intellectual property of others, technological approaches of ACLARA and its competitors, and other risk factors identified in the Company's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2002 and Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2003 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Trademarks ACLARA BioSciences is a registered trademark, and eTag and the ACLARA logo are trademarks of ACLARA BioSciences, Inc. DATASOURCE: ACLARA BioSciences, Inc. CONTACT: Alfred Merriweather, VP, Finance and CFO of ACLARA, +1-650-210-1200, or Web site: http://www.aclara.com/

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