CIPH Ciphergen Biosystems (MM)

Ciphergen Biosystems and Salford Systems Announce Biomarker Patterns(TM) Software 5.0 Multivariate Classification Software Enables Discovery of Powerful Multi-protein Biomarker Patterns That Translate to Assays With High Predictive Accuracy FREMONT, Calif., April 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ciphergen Biosystems, Inc. , in conjunction with Salford Systems, announced today the release of Biomarker Patterns(TM) Software 5.0, Ciphergen's latest advanced offering for elucidation of clinically relevant protein patterns. Recently, the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued a patent to Ciphergen, directed to finding protein patterns in mass spectrometry data using the classification and regression tree algorithm to identifydiagnostic patterns of proteins derived from any type of mass spectrometry data. This method is used in Ciphergen's SELDI ProteinChip(R) Biomarker System for biomarker discovery, validation and assay development. "Biomarker Patterns Software is the only commercially available clinical proteomics software that addresses both discovery of protein multi-markers and their translation to assays with high predictive accuracy," commented Martin Verhoef, President of Ciphergen's Biosystems Division. "This sets Ciphergen's proteomics platform apart from groups that are using other pattern recognition methods without protein ID and from groups cataloging protein ID's for literature validation in order to guess which protein will make a good assay, a classical approach which has had limited success in developing in vitro diagnostic tests over the past decades." Biomarker Patterns Software is a unique, Windows-based package for supervised classification of SELDI (Surface-Enhanced Laser Desorption/Ionization) mass spectral data sets derived from the Ciphergen ProteinChip(R) platform. Ciphergen Biosystems and Salford Systems collaborated to create BPS by modifying and enhancing Salford's existing CART(R) technology. Salford's expertise in the Classification and Regression Tree procedure, introduced by Leo Breiman, Jerome Friedman, Richard Olshen and Charles Stone in 1984, is well-established. Ciphergen has exclusive rights to this software in the field of proteomics. A major new component of Biomarker Patterns Software 5.0 allows intelligent feature selection using functionality from Salford's TreeNet algorithm, which embodies Jerome Friedman's MART (Multiple Additive Regression Trees). The methodology is based on CART, but with adaptations designed to extract the most reliable information from the data set. TreeNet builds a large number of small trees, each designed to help correct the errors of its predecessors. This new feature avoids the potential problem of "overfitted data," a condition that occurs when many data points are analyzed against a relatively small sample set, a situation frequently encountered in the early phases of a discovery project, when a relatively small number of samples may be available. By allowing a more focused analysis on the variables that really matter, there is a notable payoff from pre-selecting variables. "Biomarker Patterns Software 5.0 incorporates a major analytical advance in which a boosting algorithm such as TreeNet is used to identify the proteins that are relevant to a particular disease and then CART is used to summarize and display the results in a clear, concise, and scientifically comprehensible manner," stated Dan Steinberg, President and CEO of Salford Systems. "This is the first time these technologies have been combined in this way and putting such a powerful but easy to use software tool in the hands of a large universe of clinical researchers and biologists holds the potential to discover and create break-through, multi-biomarker diagnostic assays." About Ciphergen Ciphergen's Biosystems Division develops, manufactures and markets a family of ProteinChip(R) Systems and services for clinical, research, and process proteomics applications, as well as a broad range of bioseparations media for protein purification and large scale production. ProteinChip Systems enable protein discovery, characterization, identification and assay development to provide researchers with predictive, multi-marker assay capabilities and a better understanding of biological function at the protein level. Ciphergen's Diagnostics Division is dedicated to the discovery of protein biomarkers and panels of biomarkers and their development into protein molecular diagnostic tests that improve patient care; and to providing collaborative R&D services through its Biomarker Discovery Center(R) laboratories for biomarker discovery for new diagnostic tests as well as pharmacoproteomic services for improved drug toxicology, efficacy and theranostic assays. Additional information about Ciphergen can be found at http://www.ciphergen.com/. About Salford Systems Salford Systems, founded in 1983, provides state-of-the-art data mining and business intelligence software and consultation services. The award winning software is being successfully used in all aspects of complex data analysis including predictive modeling and segmentation, and is being applied to credit risk scoring, targeted marketing, analytical Customer Relationship Management (CRM), fraud and intrusiondetection, web site personalization, drug discovery, and manufacturing quality control. Industries using Salford Systems products and services include banking, financial services, insurance, telecommunications, transportation, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, manufacturing, law enforcement and security, retail and catalog sales, and education. Salford Systems software is installed at more than 4,500 sites worldwide, including 300 major universities. Safe Harbor Statement Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: For purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "Act"), Ciphergen disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements, and claims the protection of the Safe Harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Act. Examples of such forward-looking statements include statements regarding the use of ProteinChip technology to accelerate the discovery of useful protein biomarkers and the biological function of proteins within patterns of biomarkers, develop and commercialize protein molecular diagnostics that improve patient care, the ability to provide services that lead to improved toxicology assays and diagnostic assays, the expected benefits of using the new classification approach with SELDI-MS, the expectation that protein multi-marker tests will have a significant future role in diagnostics, prognostics, predictive toxicology and drug development, and statements regarding our Diagnostics Division. Actual results may differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements due to various factors, including, the ProteinChip technology's ability to validate and/or develop these protein biomarkers as diagnostic or toxicology assays, and the Company's ability to successfully commercialize such tests, and our ability to protect and promote our proprietary technologies. Investors should consult Ciphergen's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Form 10-K dated March 15, 2004, for furtherinformation regarding these and other risks of the Company's business. NOTE: Ciphergen, ProteinChip and Biomarker Patterns are trademarks of Ciphergen Biosystems, Inc. CART is a trademark of Salford Systems. DATASOURCE: Ciphergen Biosystems, Inc. CONTACT: Sue Carruthers, Investor Relations of Ciphergen Biosystems, Inc., +1-510-505-2297 Web site: http://www.ciphergen.com/

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