Bio-Rad Introduces New Protein Expression, Purification, and Tag Removal System

Date: 
2008-02-25

Fast Forward to Tag-Free Protein

HERCULES, CA — February 25, 2008 — Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (AMEX: BIO and BIOb), a multinational manufacturer and distributor of life science research and clinical diagnostic products, announced today the new Bio-Rad Profinity eXact™ Fusion-tag System, an integrated set of products that address bottlenecks in the tag-removal process involved with the purification of affinity-tagged proteins. The result of the entire process is true, single-step purification without the difficulty and expense of cleavage enzymes, incubation times, or removal of reagents.

The Profinity eXact fusion-tag system utilizes an immobilized, engineered Subtilisin protease to carry out affinity binding and tag cleavage, which significantly shortens the purification process. As the ligand, the protease is not only involved with the binding and recognition of the tag, but upon application of the elution buffer, it also serves to quickly and precisely cleave the tag from the fusion protein directly after the cleavage recognition sequence. This delivers a native, tag-free protein in a single step.

"Profinity eXact enables researchers to purify tag-free proteins in one hour," said Tanis Correa, senior product manager of Bio-Rad Lab Chromatography products.  "It's an excellent option for scientists utilizing the simplicity of affinity purification, but whose applications demand unadulterated protein for functional and structural analyses."

The key benefits of the Profinity eXact system include purification and processing of fusion-tagged proteins in a single step, on-column cleavage in as little as 30 minutes, elimination of a protease addition step, and precise cleavage at the N-terminus to generate a native protein sequence.

Availability
Bio-Rad's Profinity eXact™ Fusion-tag System is available immediately. To place an order, click here or call 1-800-424-6723.

About Bio-Rad
Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (AMEX: BIO and BIOb) has remained at the center of scientific discovery for more than 50 years manufacturing and distributing a broad range of products for the life science research and clinical diagnostic markets. The company is renowned worldwide among hospitals, universities, major research institutions, as well as biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies for its commitment to quality and customer service. Founded in 1952, Bio-Rad is headquartered in Hercules, California, and serves more than 85,000 research and industry customers worldwide through its global network of operations. The company employs approximately 6,300 people globally and had revenues of nearly $1.3 billion in 2006. For more information, visit www.bio-rad.com.

This release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as, "believe," "expect," "may," "will," "intend," "estimate," "continue," or similar expressions or the negative of those terms or expressions. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to vary materially from those expressed in or indicated by the forward-looking statements. For further information regarding the Company's risks and uncertainties, please refer to the "Risk Factors" in the Company's public reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, as updated by subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. The Company cautions you not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which reflect an analysis only and speak only as of the date hereof. Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.