Paradigm Genetics, Inc. (Nasdaq: PDGM), a functional genomics company, today announced that it has processed more than one million Arabidopsis thaliana plants through its GeneFunction Factory™, a number that is unprecedented in plant genomics history. This achievement places Paradigm at the forefront of gene function research.

Paradigm’s approach to functional genomics in Arabidopsis is based on rapidly processing the plants under strictly standardized growth conditions. The GeneFunction Factory™ explores the function of the genes by integrating state-of-the-art sequencing technology with phenotype, metabolite and gene expression profiling. The company has the capacity to grow 1.2 million plants annually in the new GeneFunction Factory™.

"Paradigm has implemented a ‘systems biology’ approach that expands discovery well beyond traditional genomics," said John Hamer, Vice President, Research. "The keys to our success are the vision and dedication of our scientists who realize the full value of integrated processes, computational biology and broad domain expertise in biological system analysis. We view Arabidopsis as a high-throughput biological reporter of gene function. We have a robust index of its growth, development and physiology, thus we can use Arabidopsis to analyze genes from a very broad collection of plants, microorganisms and animals.

"Speed is a critical component to our success," added Hamer. "Our ability to process Arabidopsis in a high-throughput manner is due in part to the successful integration of proprietary robotics and other customized automation into our research platform, as well as the new factory that is now fully operational."

This milestone coincides with Paradigm's publication entitled Growth Stage–Based Phenotypic Analysis of Arabidopsis: A Model for High-Throughput Functional Genomics in Plants in The Plant Cell (Vol. 13, 1499-1510, July 2001) by Douglas C. Boyes, Adel M. Zayed, Robert Ascenzi, Amy J. McCaskill, Neil E. Hoffman, Keith R. Davis and Jörn Görlach of Paradigm. This paper can be found on-line at www.plantcell.org/cgi/content/full/13/7/1499.

About Paradigm Genetics

Located in Research Triangle Park, NC, Paradigm Genetics, Inc. is industrializing the process of gene function discovery for four major sectors of the global economy: human health, nutrition, crop production, and industrial products. The company has designed the GeneFunction Factory™ – an integrated, rapid, industrial-scale laboratory through which it discovers gene function. Paradigm and its strategic partners intend to develop novel products using information developed with the GeneFunction Factory™. The backbone of the GeneFunction Factory™ is the company’s proprietary FunctionFinder™ bioinformatics system, used to collect, store, analyze, and retrieve information. For more information, visit www.paradigmgenetics.com