Issaquah, Wash. and Cambridge, Mass. - October 9, 2001 - Applied Precision's arrayWoRx^e is the first microarray scanner on the market to offer image interpretation with upstream analysis, with the addition of the softWoRx^TM Tracker software powered by MolecularWare. The software was developed by MolecularWare Inc., an emerging bioinformatics company, and is available in the arrayWoRx^e Advanced Edition. With integrated upstream analysis software, researchers have immediate access to the information regarding the microarray's chemical history, which enables them to more quickly interpret experiment results. Without this software, users would have to account for environmental conditions that occurred during the slide's creation through a series of manual adjustments. The automation of this process reduces the potential for errors and saves researchers' time, enabling them to use their research data more quickly.

The enhanced software package enables scientists using the arrayWoRx^e Advanced Edition to receive massive quantities of data from various heterogeneous instruments (such as liquid handling robots, microarraying robots, and microarray biochip readers) from which it has traditionally been next-to-impossible to automatically capture data. This data includes all the relevant data about the slide's creation, including environmental conditions, clone information, gene information, etc. The software then plugs all this information into its analysis of the data gleaned from the slide.

The software packaged with the arrayWoRx^e Advanced Edition also includes enhancements to the downstream analysis process, increasing the speed with which the microarray scanner can locate spots for analysis. "In developing our partnership with MolecularWare, we searched for the best software package to provide functionality specifically requested by our customers," said Brent Navran, Applied Precision's product line manager for Biotechnology Solutions. "MolecularWare's product suite, combined with our arrayWoRx^e biochip reader, creates the most complete solution for scientists trying to manage the startling volume of mission-critical data being generated by their research."

Customers purchasing the arrayWoRx^e Advanced Edition receive one license of softWoRx Tracker software on their system. Customers also have the option of purchasing up to four additional licenses. Applied Precision and MolecularWare will continue to upgrade the softWoRx Tracker software in future releases available to existing and new arrayWoRx^e Advanced customers.

"Applied Precision is one of the world's leading suppliers of biochip readers, and we look forward to working together to revolutionize the very backbone of drug discovery in this age of digital biology," added Richard P. Kivel, chief executive officer of MolecularWare.

Applied Precision's international sales force and network of distributors began shipping the arrayWoRx^e Advanced Edition in September 2001.

About Applied Precision, Inc.

Applied Precision develops measurement, analysis and process control systems for biomedical and biotechnology imaging and analysis systems (especially live-cell microscopy, genomics and proteomics), semiconductor wafer test, and precision motion control components. Applied Precision's specialized products are based on precisionware^TM, the company's unique convergence of mechanics, electronics, optics and software. Applied Precision, Inc. has been enabling advancements in the world's core technologies since its inception in 1985. Applied Precision (www.appliedprecision.com) can be reached in the United States at +1 (425) 557-1000 or in the United Kingdom at +44 (0)16 7251 8350.

About MolecularWare, Inc.

MolecularWare was founded to create a new bioinformatics standard that effectively manages the transition of large amounts of information. The Company's mission is to create software that forges an easy-to-access link between the biotechnology researchers and the data generated from complex experiments taking place around the world. Drug-discovery research is an important lead market for the Company's products due to aggressive adoption of cutting-edge automated research. MolecularWare's software will make the subsequent integration of workflow management and knowledge management possible in the advancing new era of molecular medicine, where the objective is to have the ability to transform vast amounts of information into diagnostic strategies that predict and prevent disease.

MolecularWare is actively building multiple distribution channels and selling its products through hardware vendors to accelerate market penetration of its DigitalGENOME suite of products. In 1999, the Company was the recipient of the prestigious "MIT $50K Entrepreneurship Competition Award." The Company's investors include the venture-capital firms Aspen Investment Group and KnowledgeCube Group.

Contacts:

For Applied Precision
BRW LeGrand
Lisa Miller Jason Rodman
Tel: 303.298.8470
E-mail: lmiller@brwlegrand.com

Applied Precision, Inc.
Brent Navran
Product Line Manager, Biotechnology Solutions
Tel: 425.557.1000
Email: bnavran@api.com

For MolecularWare
John Siegal
Media Relations
Tel: 617.354.9797, ext. 15
Richard P Kivel, CEO
Tel: 617.354.9797