Leader in drug screening tools and technologies now has local sales teams in China and South Korea

Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France – Cisbio Bioassays (www.htrf.com), a member of IBA group and global developer of HTRF® (Homogeneous Time-Resolved Fluorescence) technology and services used in assay development and drug screening, today announced that it has established sales operations in China and South Korea, expanding its global presence in Asia. The local sales teams will enable the company to offer its GPCR and kinase technology platforms, biomarker assays and related services to customers in two of the world’s fastest emerging pharmaceutical and biotechnology markets.

Sales of Cisbio Bioassays’ HTRF-based tools, which include IP-One, cAMP and Cellul’erk assays and the Tag-lite™ cell surface receptor platform, will be handled in China by IBA China (www.htrf-china.cn), IBA group’s Beijing-based subsidiary. IBA China was established in 2007 to support IBA group’s Asian presence in radiopharmaceutical products, equipment, and methods dedicated to cancer diagnosis and treatment. Sales in South Korea will be handled by JCBio Co. Ltd. (www.jcbio.co.kr), a Seoul-based distributor specialized in products used by pharmaceutical and biotechnology laboratory researchers.

“For nearly a decade, we have been looking to launch on-the-ground teams in specific markets with a view to enhancing our infrastructure in Europe, North America and Asia,” said François Degorce, head of marketing at Cisbio Bioassays. “We are dedicated to being a service- and customer-oriented company with a global reach, and our local presence in China and South Korea will enable us to cultivate stronger relationships with our customers in these important markets.”

Winner of the Frost & Sullivan 2009 North American Technological Innovation of the Year Award, Cisbio Bioassays pioneered the field of homogenous fluorescence methodologies via its proprietary technology, HTRF, a highly sensitive, robust technology for the detection of molecular interactions and widely used by the pharmaceutical industry for the high throughput screening stage of drug development. In addition to its HTRF-based tools, the company offers a range of services, including custom labeling of specific assay components, custom assay design and development, and HTRF technology training with its highly-trained technical staff. Headquartered in France, Cisbio Bioassays has facilities in Bedford, Massachusetts (USA), and markets its products through exclusive distributors in Japan and India.

About Cisbio Bioassays and IBA group

Cisbio Bioassays is a global developer of products and technologies used in in vitro diagnostics and assay development for drug screening procedures. The company pioneered the field of homogenous fluorescence methodologies via its proprietary technology, HTRF®, a highly sensitive, robust technology for the detection of molecular interactions and widely used by the pharmaceutical industry for the high throughput screening stage of drug development. In addition, Cisbio Bioassays produces a selection of biological reagents and methods used by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as contract research organizations (CROs). Headquartered in Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France, with facilities in Bedford, MA, U.S.A. and a network of distributors worldwide, Cisbio Bioassays is a member of the Belgium-based IBA group. Founded in 1986 in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, IBA is primarily active in the medical industry. It develops and markets state-of-the-art equipment and radiopharmaceuticals for cancer diagnosis and treatment. In addition, it uses the scientific expertise thus gained to provide electron accelerators for industrial sterilization and ionization. Listed on the pan-European stock exchange Euronext, IBA is included in the BEL Mid Index (IBA: Reuters IBAB.BR and Bloomberg IBAB.BB). Please visit www.htrf.com and www.iba-worldwide.com for more information about Cisbio Bioassays and IBA.

HTRF® is a registered trademark of Cisbio Bioassays; Tag-lite™ is a trademark of Cisbio Bioassays.