Press Release

PROTEIN DISCOVERY, INC. Appoints Dr. Richard M. Caprioli to its Scientific Advisory Board

Knoxville, TN, December 9, 2003—Protein Discovery, Inc. announced today that it has appointed Dr.Richard M. Caprioli to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Dr. Caprioli is the Stanley Cohen Professor of Biochemistry and Director of the Mass Spectrometry Research Center at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He is also currently Professor in the Departments of Chemistry and Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University. Prior to Vanderbilt, Dr. Caprioli was Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Director of the Analytical Chemistry Center at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston. Prior to the University of Texas, Dr. Caprioli was an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry at Purdue University. The interdisciplinary Protein Discovery SAB consists of scientific experts in fields ranging from surface chemistry and electrochemistry to mass spectrometry-based proteomics and will help guide the company in its research and development efforts.

Dr. Caprioli is a fantastic addition to the company’s already outstanding Scientific Advisory Board,stated Chuck Witkowski, President, CEO, and founder of Protein Discovery. Dr. Caprioli is internationally recognized as a thought leader in the use of mass spectrometry for the analysis complex biological samples and he shares our vision in this rapidly growing field. Dr. Caprioli’s recent work on direct tissue imaging using MALDI-MS is especially exciting, as it provides a means to determine the spatial distribution of biomolecules in tissue with molecular weight specificity, allowing for the identification of protein and peptide biomarkers with excellent diagnostic specificity. Dr. Caprioli’s vast expertise and experience in this field will be of tremendous value to Protein Discovery.

Dr. Caprioli has been a member of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry since 1975; he is currently Past-President of this society, having recently served two years each as President and Vice-President for Programs. He is a member of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Additionally, Professor Caprioli has been the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Mass Spectrometry since 1990. He has published over 300 scientific papers, including three books, and is currently co-editing a volume of Encyclopedia of Mass Spectrometry. Dr. Caprioli has a Bachelor’s of Science from Columbia University and a doctorate in Biochemistry from Columbia University with Professor David Rittenberg. He completed a one-year postdoctoral fellowship at Purdue University with Professor John H. Beynon.

About Protein Discovery
Protein Discovery is a life sciences company developing turnkey systems for the rapid identification of protein and peptide expression patterns used in clinical research, drug discovery, and diagnostics. The company’s technology addresses key challenges facing protein research today, including the identification of low copy number molecules contained in complex biological samples such as serum. These types of tools are required by clinical researchers to better understand the molecular basis for disease and cost-effectively develop successful diagnostics and pharmaceutical drug treatments. Protein Discovery has received support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Southeast Community Capital Corporation, and Memphis Biomed Ventures I, L.P. The Company is located in Knoxville, Tennessee.

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