BEVERLY, Mass., January 12, 2005 - Agencourt Bioscience Corporation, a provider of genomic services and nucleic acid purification products to the life sciences industry, today introduced Isopure™, a reagent for the purification of genomic DNA from buccal cells. Isopure is based on Agencourt's patented SPRI™ (Solid Phase Reversible Immobilization) technology and expands the Company's product line of magnetic bead-based kits to include isolation of genomic DNA.

Isopure purifies genomic DNA from buccal cells collected either by cheek swab or mouthwash formats for downstream applications such as PCR. Driven by Agencourt's SPRI magnetic bead technology, Isopure provides researchers with a simple, streamlined method for consistent isolation of quality DNA. The method is available for both tube and 96-well microplate formats and can easily be automated for higher throughput requirements.

"The collection of DNA samples using cheek swabs and mouthwash technologies is an expanding isolation method due to growing diagnostic and forensic applications," said Kevin McKernan, Co-Chief Scientific Officer, Agencourt Bioscience Corp. "Isopure is optimized for use in these applications with the added benefits of SPRI technology including consistent purification of quality nucleic acids, robust protocols and flexible throughputs."