SMRT™ DNA Sequencing Called “Life-changing Technology”

MENLO PARK, Calif.–Pacific Biosciences, a private company developing a disruptive technology platform for real-time detection of biological events at single molecule resolution, today announced that it has been named a 2010 Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum.

The 2010 WEF Technology Pioneers include 26 innovative start-up companies expected to have a critical impact on the future of business and society. To be selected as a Technology Pioneer, a company must be involved in the development of a life-changing technology innovation and have the potential for long-term impact on business and society. In addition, it must demonstrate visionary leadership and show all the signs of a long-standing and sustainable market leader – and its technology must be proven.

Pacific Biosciences was nominated for the award by best-selling business strategy author and MDV Venture Partner, Geoffrey Moore. “DNA sequencing is a fundamental enabling technology in the biotechnology revolution, and Pacific Biosciences has developed a way to break through the previous ceilings on the potential of this technology to transform the practice of medicine, improve agriculture, and develop greener energy solutions,” said Mr. Moore.

Pacific Biosciences is scheduled to introduce its Single Molecule Real Time (SMRT) DNA sequencing technology to the market in the second half of 2010.

“We believe our single molecule, real-time technology will radically change the way scientists perform DNA sequencing, and will ultimately become a routine part of patient care,” said Hugh Martin, Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Biosciences. “We are grateful to Geoff Moore and the WEF for recognizing our achievements to date.”

Previous WEF Technology Pioneers include 23andme (2008), Amyris Biotechnologies (2006), Dr Reddy Laboratories (2001), Google (2001), Gridpoint (2008), Kaspersky Lab (2001), Mozilla Corporation (2007), Nanosolar (2007), Recyclebank (2009), and Silver Spring Networks (2008).

More information about the Technology Pioneers program, including a complete list of winners, is available at https://www.weforum.org/techpioneers. More information about Pacific Biosciences is available at www.pacificbiosciences.com.

About Pacific Biosciences

Pacific Biosciences’ mission is to transform the way humankind acquires, processes, and interprets data from living systems. The company has developed a disruptive technology platform for the real-time detection of biological events at single molecule resolution. Single Molecule Real Time (SMRT™) Biology promises to revolutionize the life sciences by revealing the underlying networks that define living systems. The first application for the SMRT Biology platform is a paradigm changing approach to DNA sequencing. The SMRT Sequencing System will ultimately make it possible to sequence individual genomes as part of routine medical care. DNA sequencing is expected to be the first of many transformative SMRT Biology applications that will benefit society by driving radical advances in fields such as personalized medicine, agriculture, clean energy, and global health.