SEATTLE, May 22 — Amnis Corporation announced today the

commercial release of its Extended Depth of Field (EDF(TM)) option for the

ImageStream system. This technology breaks through classical depth of field

limitations of high resolution optical systems, thereby improving the

performance of the ImageStream system and enabling new applications

including high speed analysis of fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH).

The EDF option can be installed at time of manufacture or in the field to

allow the existing customer base to take advantage of this new capability.

“The EDF option uses a combination of specialized optics and unique

image processing algorithms to project all structures within the cell onto

one crisp plane of focus,” said William Ortyn, Amnis’ Chief Operating

Officer. “Until now this could only be accomplished via conventional

confocal image stacking techniques which are very slow and tend to suffer

from photo bleaching. The ImageStream with EDF is unhindered by photo

bleaching and operates at rates close to 1000 times faster than confocal

microscopy. The resulting imagery and analysis capabilities are

unparalleled in the cell analysis space setting the stage for the

development of fundamentally new research and clinical applications based

on the ImageStream platform.”

“To create the EDF upgrade we combined WaveFront Coded(TM) technology

from [OmniVision-CDM Optics] with our own optimized image deconvolution

algorithms, with striking results,” said David Basiji, Ph.D., Amnis’

President and CEO. “In addition to the optical benefits, the EDF option

triples the data collection rate by allowing the instrument to be operated

with a larger core stream diameter. One of the most important applications

the ImageStream with EDF can now address is FISH in suspension (FISHIS(R)).

Counting FISH spots accurately requires that all spots be in focus, no

matter where they are in the nucleus … EDF technology, combined with the

tremendous speed and sensitivity of the ImageStream system, will make high

throughput FISHIS a reality. With the recent release of IDEAS 3.0 and the

current release of the EDF option, the Company continues to make excellent

progress in advancing the technological capabilities of our product line.

Amnis Corporation, headquartered in Seattle, WA, develops, manufactures

and markets the ImageStream system for high speed imaging of cells in flow.

The system generates over 100,000 high resolution cell images per minute

with fluorescence sensitivity better than standard flow cytometry. The

ImageStream is supported by the IDEAS(R) image analysis package, a highly

sophisticated yet easy to use tool for processing hundreds of thousands of

images at a time. The software package enables advanced research

applications in hematology, immunology and oncology, and provides a

critical foundation for the company’s clinical applications development.