Daiichi-Sankyo to Install Corning(R) Epic(R) System

Daiichi-Sankyo to Install Corning(R) Epic(R) System

October 12, 2007

Label-free drug screening platform enters Japanese
pharmaceutical market


    CORNING, N.Y., Oct. 12 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Corning
Incorporated (NYSE:GLW) on Oct 11, 2007 announced that
Daiichi-Sankyo Co. Ltd. purchased the Corning(R) Epic(R)
System for installation and integration into drug discovery
operations at its Kasai Research & Development Center in
Tokyo. Daiichi-Sankyo is a global pharmaceutical innovator
and Japan's second-largest drug maker. This purchase marks
the entry of Corning's microplate-based, label-free drug
screening platform into the Japanese pharmaceutical market,
following successful commercial launches in both North
America and Europe. 

    (Logo: http://www.xprn.com/xprn/sa/200708141205-min.jpg
)

    "Because it is based on Corning's strong heritage
in photonics, materials science, and life sciences, we are
convinced that the Epic System will significantly
contribute to our drug screening efforts and enable
Daiichi-Sankyo to achieve great success," said Dr.
Hiroshi Yokota, general manager, Exploratory Research
Laboratories I, Daiichi-Sankyo Co. Ltd. 

    "Given Daiichi-Sankyo's recognized leadership in
the pharmaceutical industry, we are very pleased with their
decision to integrate the Corning Epic System into their
drug discovery operations," said Tom Lynch, business
director, Corning Epic System. "Corning has
established a team of local Epic field application and
service personnel to provide a strong foundation of support
for the growing customer base in Japan." 

    The Epic System is a high-throughput, label-free
screening platform based on optical biosensor technology.
The system performs both biochemical and cell-based drug
discovery applications and offers drug developers the
ability to evaluate promising new drug targets. It also
enables the observation of direct biological interactions
not previously detectable in high-throughput applications.


    The system uses optical technology to eliminate the
need for labels and consists of two components: a
disposable 384-well microplate with integrated biosensors
and a high-throughput screening (HTS) compatible microplate
reader that permits screening of up to 40,000 wells in an
eight-hour period. Because it makes use of an industry
standard microplate format, the Epic System can be easily
integrated with existing facilities and instrumentation. 

    For additional information on the Epic System, or any
other Corning Life Sciences products, please contact a
customer service representative at 1-800-492-1110, toll
free in the United States, ([phone]
internationally, or visit
http://www.corning.com/lifesciences . 

    About Corning Incorporated

    Corning Incorporated ( http://www.corning.com ) is the
world leader in specialty glass and ceramics. Drawing on
more than 150 years of materials science and process
engineering knowledge, Corning creates and makes keystone
components that enable high-technology systems for consumer
electronics, mobile emissions control, telecommunications
and life sciences. Our products include glass substrates
for LCD televisions, computer monitors and laptops; ceramic
substrates and filters for mobile emission control systems;
optical fiber, cable, hardware & equipment for
telecommunications networks; optical biosensors for drug
discovery; and other advanced optics and specialty glass
solutions for a number of industries including
semiconductor, aerospace, defense, astronomy and metrology.


    ADDENDUM

    Key Terminology:

    High-throughput screening (HTS): Pharmaceutical
companies generally have libraries of 500,000 to one
million compounds. Therefore, to identify leads during the
drug discovery process, researchers rely on high-throughput
screening, or HTS. HTS is the use of miniaturized, robotics
equipment to screen hundreds of thousands of compounds
against a single target. Compounds that show a positive
result go on to further testing. 

    Label-free drug screening: The Corning Epic System
eliminates the need for fluorescent or radioactive labels
that are often used in the detection of biomolecular
interactions. The Epic System uses optical technology to
directly measure the biomolecular interaction between a
drug compound and a disease target without the use of
labels. Eliminating the need for labels reduces the
potential for erroneous results, saves time, and makes it
possible to evaluate compounds that can not be labeled. 

    Optical biosensor: An optical biosensor is a sensing
device that can be used to detect biological reactions. The
Epic System uses an optical biosensor known as a resonant
waveguide (RWG), which consists of a substrate with an
optical grating and a coating with a high index of
refraction. This grating forms an optical waveguide, a tiny
channel through which a specific wavelength of light
propagates. Only this wavelength that is resonant with the
waveguide grating structure is strongly reflected. The
other wavelengths are transmitted. 

    Biochemical and cell-based drug discovery applications:
The Epic System detects changes in refractive index upon a
binding event that takes place between immobilized targets
on a sensor surface and analytes. Detecting these direct
biomolecular interactions is referred to as biochemical
applications. Example biochemical applications include
antigen/antibody, drug/protease, drug/kinase, protein/DNA.
In addition to these biochemical applications, the Epic
System is also able to detect intracellular events that
take place in cultured cells stimulated by a drug. Examples
of these cell-based applications include G protein coupled
receptors, epidermal growth factor receptors, and
cytoskeleton modulations. 


    For more information, please contact:

     Media Relations Contact:
     Dana D. Moss
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]

     Additional Contact:
     Lisa A. Burns
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]