Mar 12, 2009, PLEASANTON, CA. Arcxis Biotechnologies, a privately held biomedical device firm, today announced a strategic partnership and technology development agreement with In-Q-Tel to accelerate availability of the Arcxis nucleic acid sample preparation platform and diagnostic consumable product line. In-Q-Tel is the independent strategic investment firm that identifies innovative technology solutions to support the mission of the CIA and the broader U.S. Intelligence Community. This investment is linked to Arcxis’ 2009 funding round led by Claremont Creek Ventures, Kaiser Permanente Ventures and Alafi Capital previously announced, and supports Arcxis’ continued development and commercialization efforts.

“By efficiently extracting, isolating and purifying RNA and DNA from blood, plasma and environmental samples,” said Christine Meda, CEO and President. “Arcxis Biotechnologies’ new platform will insure extremely fast and reproducible results, even in the hands of inexperienced users. This serves not only to reduce experimental errors commonly encountered with other, manual techniques, but improves the quantity and quality of the sample — a key component to results accuracy.”

“Arcxis is an important addition to our strategic investment portfolio,” said Troy M. Pearsall, Executive Vice President of Architecture and Engineering at In-Q-Tel. “The automated extraction of microbial DNA from clinical or environmental samples poses challenges that are unique compared to instances where the target is abundant. Arcxis’ technology promises to mitigate these difficulties, and increase the sensitivity of assays performed in-theater. This robust, rapid DNA extraction technology will be an invaluable solution to the public and private sectors.”

Arcxis will launch a fully automated RNA and DNA sample preparation device to the clinical diagnostic marketplace later this year. This technology capability will eliminate time-consuming sample preparation, as well as provide users a greater volume of purified starting material for demanding analyses, such as organism detection, genotyping, gene expression and PCR. While the device is designed for efficient nucleic acid extraction and purification from blood and plasma, its capabilities makes it ideal for preparation of environmental samples. Arcxis is also developing a complementary probe technology for creating highly sensitive and specific assays.

About Arcxis Biotechnologies

Arcxis Biotechnologies headquartered in Pleasanton, California, is a venture backed company formed to develop disruptive technologies toward superior sample processing and pathogen detection accuracy. The company is developing the Xisyl(TM) workstation, a nucleic acid sample preparation platform, and the BioPhalanx(TM) analysis workstation, a fully automated sample-to-result system for dramatically improved clinical laboratory workflows. For additional information, please visit the company’s website (www.arcxis.com) or call (925) 461-1300.

About In-Q-Tel

In-Q-Tel is the strategic, not-for-profit investment firm that works to identify, adapt, and deliver innovative technology solutions to support the mission of the U.S. Intelligence Community. Launched by the CIA in 1999 as a private, independent organization, In-Q-Tel’s mission is to identify and partner with companies developing cutting-edge technologies that serve the national security interests of the United States. Working from an evolving strategic blueprint defining the Intelligence Community’s critical technology needs, In-Q-Tel engages with entrepreneurs, growth companies, researchers, and investors to deliver technologies that provide superior capabilities for the CIA and the larger Intelligence Community. In-Q-Tel concentrates on several broad commercial technology areas including: application software and analytics; bio, chemical, and nanotechnology communications and infrastructure; digital identity and security; and embedded systems and power. To date, In-Q-Tel has engaged with more than 125 companies and delivered more than 140 technology solutions to the Intelligence Community. To learn more about In-Q-Tel, visit www.iqt.org.