Männedorf, Switzerland, 26 January 2004: - Tecan, a leading player in the Life Sciences supply industry, announces the launch of several new laboratory automation and detection products at the upcoming LabAutomation2004 exhibition on February 2-4 in San Jose, California, USA. LabAutomation2004 will feature the latest automation technologies for the pharmaceutical, biotech, chemical and clinical laboratories, and is one of Tecan’s key exhibitions this year. Tecan’s interactive booth (# 407) will showcase the new products and other recent innovations, like the Freedom EVO^® platform and a wide variety of robotic solutions. In addition, Tecan will lead numerous workshops and poster presentations with strategic partners including Amersham, Corning, Invitrogen, and Millipore.

The following automation solutions, microplate detection instruments and OEM modules will be demonstrated at the Tecan booth for the first time at a major trade show:

Cellerity – This powerful cell and protein production system provides a high-throughput solution for fully automated cell culture maintenance, cell-line expansion and harvesting with minimal process development. Cellerity is based on Tecan’s state-of-the-art robotic liquid handling platform, Freedom EVO. A completely functional installation, which is identical to the first installed unit at Aventis in Bridgewater, NJ, will provide LabAutomation visitors with an excellent opportunity to witness the system’s powerful capabilities.

Freedom EVOware^® – Freedom EVOware brings a new dimension to controlling robotic platforms. The software provides an unmatched combination of flexibility and ease-of-use for beginners with no experience and automation experts setting up complex multi-device schedules. A consistent and intuitive graphical user interface truly simplifies the control of the Freedom EVO. Freedom EVOware is the first liquid handling and robotic control software to provide pipetting and dynamic scheduling of multiple devices in one easy-to-use package.

Safire² – This monochromator-based microplate reader combines improved flexibility in an easy-to-use modular format with a wide range of high-speed fluorescence techniques. Due to the flexibility, sensitivity and high speed of Safire², the instrument is the ideal detection solution to bridge the gap between assay development and high-throughput screening.

Cavro™ XLP 6000 – Introduced in the US for the first time, this is a high performance syringe pump with 6,000 (standard 6,000/48,000) increment resolution.

Together with the new products, Tecan will display many of its existing solutions that have contributed to the success of the company as a leading provider to the Life Sciences. Tecan will also host interactive workshops including a session in which audience members can hear first-hand from some of Tecan’s strategic partners. In addition, there will be seven poster presentations by Tecan, including partner presentations between Tecan and Amersham, Corning, Invitrogen and Millipore.

For more information, please contact Tecan Group Ltd, CH-8708 Männedorf, Switzerland

T +41 1 922 88 88, F +41 1 922 88 89, tecan@tecan.com , www.tecan.com 

About Tecan

Tecan (www.tecan.com ) is a leading player in the Life Sciences supply industry that specializes in the development, production, and distribution of solutions enabling the discovery of pharmaceutical substances, as well as for genomics, proteomics, and diagnostics. Tecan clients are leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, university research departments and diagnostic laboratories. Founded in Switzerland in 1980, the company has manufacturing, research and development sites in both North America and Europe and maintains a sales and service network in 52 countries. In 2002, Tecan achieved sales of CH 332.2 million (USD 212.9 million; EUR 226.0 million). Registered shares of Tecan Group are traded on the SWX Swiss Exchange (TK: TECN / Reuters: TECZn.S / Valor : 1210019).

Tecan Group Ltd.                                                                     +41 1 922 88 88

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