Plexera Inks Exclusive Content Deal for DNA-based Protein Chips

Plexera Bioscience LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lumera Corporation (NASDAQ:LMRA), announced today an option agreement with Auguron Biosciences, Inc, giving them rights to exclusive access to use Auguron’s Nucleic Acid Programmable Protein Array (NAPPA) technology on the Plexera Kx™ Array Platform. NAPPA technology was developed at the Harvard Institute of Proteomics and is protected by several issued and pending patents, licensed exclusively to Auguron Biosciences. The technology enables fresh, functional proteins to be generated on high density microchips from surface printed DNA. "Plexera’s business model is focused on developing high value content consumables,” said Dr. Joe Vallner, Plexera Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "We believe Auguron’s NAPPA technology will allow us to offer a unique and compelling assortment of high quality and unique content to both the life science and pharmaceutical markets giving us a significant competitive advantage and becoming a cornerstone of our content development.” Auguron was formed in early 2007 to commercialize developments at the Harvard Institute for Proteomics (HIP). "Empowering Plexera’s label-free Kx™ Array platform with NAPPA will provide access to a virtually unlimited source of protein content with very high levels of control over both composition and functionality,” said Jim Richey, Co-Founder and Chief Executive of Auguron. "By printing DNA and expressing proteins in-situ, NAPPA skips the expense, time, yield and activity consuming steps associated with conventional printed protein arrays. Combining Plexera’s ability to interrogate interactions of every array element simultaneously, without the use of labels, presents previously unimagined investigative opportunities for complex biological systems.” While conventional label-free platforms look at one or several spots at a time, Plexera’s platform is designed to monitor thousands of elements simultaneously. "It is this capability combined with NAPPA’s power to access every gene in the genome that makes this combination so compelling,” Richey continued. The Agreement provides Plexera exclusive access for a one year period with terms for a one year extension. Plexera will test and develop NAPPA as a content source for Kx™ in collaboration together with Auguron and other strategic partners. At any time during the period, Plexera may exercise the option to negotiate an exclusive license to NAPPA within the field of detection by or depending upon SPR, the label free detection method used in the Kx™ Array platform. Although the financial details were not disclosed, the companies have stated that the fundamental terms of the license are pre-agreed in the option. Should Plexera exercise the option, the companies envision a strategic relationship where Auguron produces and supplies NAPPA enabled microchips to Plexera. "2007 was a very exciting year for Plexera as we reached several important milestones critical to building a foundation for long term success,” continued said Vallner. "The internal development teams alongside our external partners are focused and on track to launch the Kx5™ biosensor instrument in May, 2008 to the therapeutic antibody development market. This option agreement announced today provides us with the protection we need to fully investigate and develop NAPPA and Kx™ into an integrated solution that will broaden our product offering to provide unique solutions to drug and vaccine discovery and development and basic research,” About Auguron Biosciences, Inc. Auguron is a development stage, de novo start up founded by Dr. Joshua LaBaer, head of the Harvard Institute of Proteomics, his principle investigator, Dr. Niro Ramachandran and Mr. James Richey, an industry seasoned executive and CEO of Auguron. Auguron holds the exclusive license to the NAPPA array technology developed at Harvard and is forming an operation to produce NAPPA-based array products. About Plexera Biosciences LLC Plexera Biosciences LLC., a wholly owned subsidiary of Lumera Corporation (NASDAQ:LMRA), develops and manufactures advanced analytical tools and methods that enable life science researchers to probe the human proteome for improved diagnostics, therapeutics, and knowledge of the human condition. For more information, please visit www.plexera.com. Certain statements contained in this release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the company's forward-looking statements include the following: market acceptance of our technologies and products; our ability to obtain financing; our financial and technical resources relative to those of our competitors; our ability to keep up with rapid technological change; government regulation of our technologies; our ability to enforce our intellectual property rights and protect our proprietary technologies; the ability to obtain additional contract awards and to develop partnership opportunities; the timing of commercial product launches; the ability to achieve key technical milestones in key products; and other risk factors identified from time to time in the company's SEC reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K, and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.