Ambion and Cenix Release the Drosophila RNAi Library, Fulfilling the Broadest RNAi Library Product Line Available

Austin, TX, USA and Dresden, Germany, August 2, 2004 – Ambion, The RNA Company, and Cenix BioScience GmbH announced today the launch of a new RNA interference (RNAi) library targeting the Drosophila genome. This Drosophila RNAi library consists of more than 13,000 double-stranded RNA molecules (dsRNAs) that have the competitive advantage of being ready for immediate experimental use without further synthesis or purification steps. The dsRNA designs were created using a proprietary algorithm developed by Cenix that selects optimal gene specific dsRNA sequences with a high degree of accuracy. Cenix has experimentally tested the Drosophila RNAi library in several genome-scale screens using commonly available Drosophila cell lines. Ambion will offer this RNAi library for sale to accompany its industry-leading RNAi products.

“The power of RNAi is fully apparent when performing genome-scale screens. We are particularly proud of the quality of the design and construction of this library, having been able to integrate the many lessons learned from our work in C. elegans and adapting it to the specific features of the Drosophila genome. With the increasing number and availability of diverse Drosophila cell lines, we expect this ready-to-use library to become an invaluable tool for genome-scale research in the fly,” Christophe Echeverri, CEO and CSO of Cenix BioScience commented.

The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has been used in genetic and molecular biology research for almost 100 years. The completion of the sequencing of the Drosophila genome has permitted the design of specific dsRNA molecules to target virtually every predicted Drosophila gene. Drosophila has fewer gene redundancies and Drosophila tissue culture cells take up dsRNA without the need for transfection reagents, which allows the use of long dsRNAs without an interferon response. These factors make the fly system a powerful basic research tool and a complement to mammalian cell based pathway-mapping systems. Ambion will sell the Drosophila RNAi library in addition to its broad listing of RNAi products targeting mammalian cells, including individual siRNAs targeting the every human, mouse, and rat genes and siRNA libraries targeting the human druggable genome.

“The Drosophila RNAi Library expands Ambion’s line of products surrounding RNA interference to include invertebrates. The explosion of RNAi in the past few years has greatly accelerated all types of research, from basic gene function identification to target identification and target validation,” stated Matt Winkler, Ph.D., CEO and CSO of Ambion. “Ambion is committed to new, innovative products to push the envelope of RNAi research.”

RNA-mediated interference, or RNAi, is a powerful approach for achieving targeted gene silencing of genes using complementary, double stranded RNA to trigger the effect. RNAi is a naturally occurring mechanism found widely in nature, from plants to humans. Invertebrate systems, such as C. elegans and Drosophila , allow for the use of long dsRNAs, which are processed into short interfering RNAs by a host cell enzyme called Dicer. In contrast, when applied in vertebrate systems, including cultured human cells, the RNAi pathway is most readily triggered through the use of short interfering dsRNA molecules, or siRNAs. With reagents identified for multiple model systems, RNAi has rapidly become the method of choice for a wide range of biomedical applications. In particular, it has emerged as the best new functional genomics screening tool to identify and validate new therapeutic drug targets.

Ambion, Inc., is a leader in the development and supply of innovative RNA-based life science research and molecular diagnostic products. Ambion has taken a leadership role in developing products for handling, preserving, isolating, detecting and measuring RNA in areas such as molecular biology, cell biology, microbiology, drug discovery and genomics. Thanks to a concentrated effort over the last three years, Ambion also provides the widest range of products and services for RNAi applications. For more information, please visit the company’s web site at www.ambion.com.

Cenix BioScience GmbH offers premium research services specializing in genome-based high throughput applications of RNA-mediated interference (RNAi). Founded in 1999 from pioneering work in RNAi screening, Cenix combines high content analyses with proprietary genome-wide RNAi libraries for use in key experimental systems including human cells, Drosophila and C. elegans. Cenix is making its unique expertise accessible to academic and industry researchers through a wide range of fully customized research services. Please visit the company’s web site www.cenix-bioscience.com for more information.