Life Sciences Industry Turns to Linux and IBM

From:	 "Stacy Simpson" <stacysim@us.ibm.com>
To:	 "Linux Post" <Linux_Post@us.ibm.com>
Subject: Life Sciences Industry Turns to Linux and IBM
Date:	 Mon, 10 Jun 2002 10:39:51 -0400

Stacy Simpson
Media Relations
IBM Corporation
Route 100, Somers, NY  10589
Ph: 914-766-4123 (t/l: 826-4123)
E: stacysim@us.ibm.com


         Institute for Systems Biology Turns to IBM for Linux Solutions
         IBM eServer and DiscoveryLink systems to help researchers study
                           interactions among proteins



      SOMERS, N.Y., and SEATTLE, June 10, 2002 . . . The Institute for
Systems Biology (ISB), a world renowned non-profit research institute, has
selected IBM to provide its infrastructure technology.  ISB will use IBM
servers, storage and data integration products to support its research on
protein-protein interactions to better understand and predict diseases, and
identify potential preventions and treatments.

      Through the agreement, announced today at the BIO 2002 Conference,
IBM and ISB will also explore research collaborations in systems biology.
ISB is a leader in this  emerging field, which uses computer technology to
model not just the functions of individual genes and proteins, but their
complex interactions within a cell, tissue, organ or whole organism.

      "This research is the essence of what ISB is all about," said
Co-founder and President Dr. Leroy Hood. "You can't learn about systems by
studying one gene or protein at a time.  The information from genes and
proteins is complex and requires tremendous computational firepower.  The
technology framework from IBM will give us the power we need to quickly
analyze and integrate the data, and accelerate our research efforts."

      ISB is replacing products from non-IBM vendors with the IBM systems,
including a 64-node IBM eServer xSeries 1300 Cluster, with two
micropressors per node.  This highly scalable, prepackaged cluster will be
used to process data from a network of mass spectrometers, which identify
and analyze proteins -- critical steps in the process of determining
protein-protein interactions.

      "As we looked over the landscape of various computer companies to
determine which ones we should be working with, IBM was clearly our first
choice," said Professor George Lake, ISB faculty member.  "It was critical
to have a technology partner who understood our research goals.  IBM does
everything -- they are a leader in high-performance computing, Linux
clusters, storage and hierarchical data management, and all of this ties
back to people in IBM's research labs working on basic technologies, data
federation and bioinformatics."

      ISB researchers will use IBM's DiscoveryLink software to quickly and
seamlessly integrate proteomics data in disparate formats and file types
and from a variety of public and private data sources.

      Deployment of ISB's new information technology infrastructure is
expected to be complete in the third quarter of 2002.

About the Institute for Systems Biology

      The Institute for Systems Biology is one of the most visible and
innovative research organizations in the world dedicated to systems
biology.  The Institute was founded by Dr. Leroy Hood, Dr. Ruedi Aebersold
and Dr. Alan Aderem in 2000 and has grown to a faculty of eight and a staff
of more than 170.  Dr. Hood, the Institute's president and director, led
the development of the automated DNA sequencing technology that enabled the
Human Genome Project and was among the small group that advocated for the
effort in 1985.  Associate Director Alan Aderem, a prominent immunologist
and cell biologist and pioneer in the study of innate immunity, has
provided scientists with fundamental insights into the functioning of the
macrophage.  Dr. Aebersold, an international expert in analytical protein
biochemistry and proteomics, leads a research group at the Institute that
is focused on developing new methods and technologies for understanding the
structure, function and control of complex biological systems.   For more
information, visit  HYPERLINK "http://www.systemsbiology.org."
http://www.systemsbiology.org.

About IBM

      IBM Life Sciences brings together IBM resources, from research,
services and e-business expertise to data and storage management and
high-performance computing, to offer new solutions for the life sciences
market, including biotechnology, genomic, e-health, pharmaceutical, and
agri-science industries.  The fastest way to get more information about IBM
Life Sciences is through its Web site,
http://www.ibm.com/solutions/lifesciences.

************************************************************************************************************************************************

             IBM and Molecular Mining Team to Advance Drug Discovery
       Agreement Links Powerful Data Mining, Predictive Modeling and Data
      Integration Technologies to Help Researchers Identify Disease Markers
                        and Design Effective Drug Targets




      SOMERS, N.Y., and KINGSTON, ONT., June 10, 2002 . . . IBM and
Molecular Mining Corporation (MMC) today announced an alliance to
collaborate on technology offerings that can help researchers analyze gene
and protein expression, discover relationships among the data to diseases,
and predict drug responses.

      The alliance will apply state-of-the-art information technology (IT)
toward solving one of the most complex problems in life sciences today:
Understanding how interactions among genes and proteins can trigger
biochemical reactions in cells and cause diseases such as cancer, AIDS and
depression.  It will also aim to increase scientific understanding of why
small genetic variations within individuals can cause significantly
different responses to particular therapies.

      MMC's product offerings will be augmented by IBM's DiscoveryLink data
integration software.  These include GeneLinker Gold and GeneLinker
Platinum, powerful analysis and visualization tools for mining gene and
protein expression data.  DiscoveryLink enables scientists to easily search
diverse data sources and file types and quickly get a single-format view of
information, without moving the data or changing its underlying format.

      In addition to joint sales and marketing efforts, IBM and MMC will
explore research collaborations in areas such as visualization, pattern
discovery and gene expression analysis.

      "This strategic relationship couples IBM's unparalled strengths in
data integration and global marketing with MMC's vast scientific and market
expertise in developing data mining and prediction solutions for the life
sciences," said Dr. Evan Steeg, president and chief executive officer of
Molecular Mining Corporation.  "Together, we will provide customers, as
well as our internal collaboration business unit, with the ultimate IT
solutions to improve performance of the entire R&D chain in life science."

      Through the agreement, IBM becomes a preferred information technology
(IT) partner provider for MMC and MMC becomes a preferred advanced Life
Sciences data mining partner provider for IBM.  GeneLinker Platinum will be
shipped on IBM Intellistation professional workstations, and new MMC
products will become generally available first on IBM middleware,
workstations and server platforms.  Also, MMC will use IBM technologies,
whenever possible, for internal development.  MMC's IT infrastructure will
include a cluster of powerful IBM eServer xSeries systems running Linux and
be supported by the IBM Life Sciences Framework, an open, scalable
architecture for integrating data, applications and systems across the
entire drug discovery and development cycle.

      "IBM's decision to team with MMC reflects our strategy to work with
industry innovators with complementary technologies on solutions that will
accelerate drug discovery," said Dr. Caroline Kovac, general manager, IBM
Life Sciences.  "MMC's advanced data mining and prediction tools are a
perfect complement to DiscoveryLink.  Life sciences organizations of all
sizes, ranging from start-ups to large pharmaceuticals -- will be able to
take advantage of the resulting cost and time-saving benefits."

About IBM Life Sciences

      IBM Life Sciences brings together IBM resources, from research,
services and e-business expertise to data and storage management and
high-performance computing, to offer new solutions for the life sciences
market, including biotechnology, genomic, e-health, pharmaceutical and
agri-science industries. The fastest way to get more information about IBM
Life Sciences is through its Web site,
http://www.ibm.com/solutions/lifesciences.

About MMC

      Molecular Mining Corporation specializes in the prediction of complex
biological behavior using its unique, proprietary core technology. MMC
applies this technology to gene expression, SNPs (single nucleotide
polymorphisms) and proteomics data to improve diagnostic and drug target
identification and prioritization, predictive toxicology and drug
screening. MMC markets its solutions through shrinkwrap software sales,
strategic co-development of software and collaborative relationships.  For
more information, visit:  http://www.molecularmining.com.



                                          #     #     #





IBM,  eServer,  DiscoveryLink  and  Intellistation  are  trademarks  of IBM
Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

GeneLinker  Platinum and GeneLinker Gold are trademarks of Molecular Mining
Corporation.


******************************************************************************************************************************

4SC Decides to Use IBM Linux Cluster Technology, Based on the IBM eServer
xSeries, For Drug Discovery

MARTINSRIED and STUTTGART, Germany, June 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The
biotechnology company 4SC AG has decided
to use IBM Linux Cluster technology for drug discovery under a
collaboration announced today. The installation of 256
double-processor eServers from the xSeries 330 and one xSeries 342 will
begin immediately. This high-performance computing
solution will enable the Munich based company to produce computer
simulations of drug targets and lead substances for the
development of new drugs. IBM eServers will run 4SC's proprietary Virtual
High Throughput Screening technology (vHTS), which
calculates the biological activities of millions of molecules on the basis
of protein structures, homology modelling or the biological
activity of existing compounds. This will enable 4SC to offer substantial
time and cost savings for the advancements of drug
candidates to the development phase. The powerful IBM eServers are equipped
with self-diagnosis and self-healing technology from
IBM's own eLiza project. Due to this technology, the computers are, to a
large extent, capable of self reporting and repairing their
own system errors, thereby avoiding downtime.

"By combining chemistry, biology and computer-based screening we are able
to accelerate the development of active substances for
new kinds of therapeutic drugs. With our proprietary Virtual High
Throughput Screening technology (vHTS) we can calculate the
biological activity of millions of molecules in a very short time. In order
to calculate the biological activity of molecules even more
rapidly within our constantly growing database, we had been looking for a
reliable IT infrastructure that would provide the processing
requirements. IBM's Life Sciences division was the obvious choice to
provide this technology" said Dr. Ulrich Dauer, CEO of 4SC.

4SC decided on the IBM eServers from the xSeries 330 and 342. In the weeks
to come, a total of 257 of these computers (with 514
processors) will be installed at the 4SC Martinsried laboratories,
supplementing the company's current computing capacity. The
eServers are equipped with fast Intel Pentium III processors as well as IBM
Director software, a control and surveillance program
that detects and repairs possible system errors before they can lead to
failures and downtimes. This technology was developed as part
of IBM's eLiza Initiative, a group focused on the design of a
cross-platform system to prevent server failure. Similar to the body's
immune system, which operates without our awareness, this self-healing
technology performs without the intervention of a systems
administrator.

"This combination of fast processors and eLiza technology makes it easier
for our clients to administer their servers," commented
Thorsten Bartelt, Head of IBM's Life Sciences Division. "Server failures
are avoided. Moreover, the servers of the xSeries Family
are an economical IT solution that's reliable, quick to install and easy to
operate. For a growing biotechnology company like 4SC, these
are irresistible advantages".

About IBM Life Sciences

IBM Life Sciences brings together IBM resources, from research and
e-business expertise to data and storage management and
high-performance computing, to offer new solutions for the life sciences
market, including academia, biotechnology, genomic, e-health,
pharmaceutical, and agri-science industries. The fastest way to get more
information about IBM Life Sciences is through its Website,
http://www.ibm.com/solutions/lifesciences.

IBM press information and photos are also available at our Internet
pressroom: http://www.ibm.com/de/pressroom.

About 4SC

4SC AG is a drug discovery and development company that derives its
competitive advantage from bridging the gap between disease targets and
novel drug candidates with its unique cheminformatics based technology
platform. 4SC's therapeutic focus and research activities center on
infectious and select hyperproliferative diseases. Three projects, for
rheumatoid arthritis, malaria and bacterial infections, are currently in
preclinical efficacy and pharmacokinetics studies. 4SC's proprietary
virtual High Throughput Screening (vHTS) technology predicts biological
activities of molecules based on protein structures, homology modeling, or
the determined biological activity of existing compounds. The technology
has the unique ability to screen 4SC's continuously growing database
containing more than two million compounds or its virtual combinatorial
libraries containing up to ten million compounds in a 24 hour period. By
combining the disciplines of chemistry and biology with vHTS, 4SC's
integrated technologies can significantly reduce the time and cost of
advancing a drug candidate to the development phase, whilst concurrently
increasing success rates for subsequent preclinical and clinical studies.
The company was founded in 1997 and currently employs 66 people based in
Martinsried, Germany.