High Performance, 3-D Visualization Software Will Enable Advanced Study of Complex Microscopy Data

ISSAQUAH, Wash., Aug. 5, 1999 - Applied Precision, a leading provider of precision positioning systems, today released the first affordable 3-D image processing solution for the study of cells and subcellular structures.

The SoftWoRx™ Imaging Workstation is designed for use by academic and biotechnology labs and enables researchers to analyze and visualize data in a highly intuitive environment. The resulting images provide critical information in drug discovery and disease process investigation, as well as enable analysis of the life and development of living cells.

"Applied Precision's high-performance deconvolution and data handling software, contained in a cutting-edge workstation, applies proven 3-D analysis software to data obtained from a variety of different digital microscopy systems," said Rich Fisler, biotechnology product manager at Applied Precision. "By offering high performance in a new pricing category, Applied Precision will have a major impact on complex image processing in academic and biotechnology labs."

SoftWoRx workstation is priced up to 50 percent less than currently available products. This imaging workstation combines 3-D visualization and deconvolution software developed for Applied Precision's DeltaVision restoration microscope with the Silicon Graphics (SGI) R12000® 02® visual workstation for UNIX®.

"We are opening a market that could not afford our high-end solutions," said Joe Ahladis, Applied Precision's vice president of worldwide marketing and sales. "With the SGI relationship, more converging technologies will enable us to offer unique solutions to current quality and pricing issues as well as to future issues."

"As the pioneer in visual computing, SGI has a history of delivering breakthrough graphics and visualization capabilities on its platform," said Chad McReynolds, director of marketing, education and sciences, for SGI. "Together with Applied Precision, SGI is enabling academic and biotechnology labs with limited resources to further their scientific research capabilities."

Applied Precision's revolutionary software includes a deconvolution algorithm to enable improvements in the clarity, linearity and resolution of images. Even the best optical system introduces a certain amount of blurring into the data acquired, resulting in inaccurate representation of the actual cellular data. By applying a deconvolution algorithm to microscopic data, the information that is defocused during data is corrected.

"Deconvolution is an intensive process that can take up to eight hours on some systems, but the SoftWoRx Imaging Workstation accomplishes this task in 11 minutes," said Fisler. "The combination of Applied Precision's revolutionary software and the speed and capacity of the SGI workstation provide a perfect solution for deconvolution microscopy."

"The study of cellular structure is intrinsically a four-dimensional problem - cells are (3-D) objects that are constantly moving themselves and their constituents from one place to another. The SoftWoRx system combines high-end data reconstruction algorithms with an SGI workstation to allow the cell biologist to visualize and analyze these dynamics at the highest resolution possible, with processing times that allow deconvolution to be used routinely," said Jason Swedlow, Professor at University of Dundee, Scotland.

The SoftWoRx Imaging Workstation can:

• Import data from standard microscopy systems
• Run a variety of deconvolution processes on the data, including Constrained iterative and nearest-neighbor techniques
• Generate 3-D models for visualization and quantitative analysis and
• Rotate the 3-D volume up to 360 degrees, in real-time

The SoftWoRx Imaging Workstation is available immediately (4 week delivery) with a list price of $11,000, including software, workstation, monitor, keyboard and mouse.

Applied precision is a leading provider of precision positioning systems for both the biotechnology industry and the semiconductor industry. With 100 employees, Applied Precision reported worldwide sales of approximately 22 million in the last fiscal year (1998/99).

DeltaVision is a registered trademark of Applied Precision, Inc. SoftWoRx, is a trademark of Applied Precision, Inc. SGI, R12000 and O2 are either trademarks, or registered trademarks of Silicon Graphics, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark of X/Open Ltd.