Xanthon, Inc.

Xanthon Inc., is dedicated to developing innovative products designed to enhance and shorten the discovery and development process for new therapeutics and medical diagnostics. The Company's patented proprietary electrochemistry platform technology allows rapid, direct detection of target nucleic acids. No purification, amplification or chemical labels are required.

The Company's initial product, scheduled for release in the second quarter of 2001, the Xanthon Xpression Analysis System™, will target the drug discovery, biomedical research and agricultural research markets. This product, offering highly selective, direct detection of nucleic acids without sample amplification or purification, will significantly decrease both the time and cost of the discovery process for companies in these sectors. The inherent sensitivity, accuracy and speed of the Xanthon technology positions the company as a leader in nucleic acid detection.

Xanthon, founded in 1996, is a privately-held company. Located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA, the Company is led by an industry experienced management team with an established record of bringing new products to market.