Nanogen Issued Nanotechnology Patent for Photonic Driven Assembly and Hybridization

03/18/04 -- Nanogen, Inc. (Nasdaq: NGEN) announced today that it was issued U.S. Patent No. 6,706,473, "Systems and Devices for Photoelectrophoretic Transport and Hybridization of Oligonucleotides," by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The '473 patent relates to new devices for nanofabrication that enable the photoelectric transport and positioning of self-assembling DNA nanostructures (and microstructures) on a semiconductor substrate material. These devices use directed light beams to create precise electric fields on the substrate material. Charged nanostructures (such as DNA derivatized nanoparticles) are transported to the electric field site where they become attached and can then lead to the further self-organization of higher-order nanoscale or microscale structures and devices.

With the addition of the '473 patent, Nanogen now has 58 issued patents in the United States.

"The '473 patent builds upon our previous nanotechnology patents by describing nanofabrication and assembly approaches using photonics to create guiding electronic fields," said Howard C. Birndorf, Nanogen chairman and chief executive officer. "This technology would allow us or others to create very small scale electronic arrays where the addressable fields are independent of preset platform designs and could greatly increase the flexibility of manufacturing and use of electronic arrays."

"More broadly, the '473 patent represents a potential manufacturing technology that combines the best aspects of self-assembly and microfabrication processes for the nanofabrication of 2D and 3D structures and devices. This highly parallel process has the inherent hierarchical logic to control the organization, assembly and communication of structures and components ranging in size from the molecular scale through macroscale systems," said Dr. Michael J. Heller, co-founder of Nanogen, and currently a professor in the Departments of Bioengineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California, San Diego.

In addition to the creation of selectively addressable DNA electronic array substrates and materials, the technology described in the '473 patent could have numerous applications including:

(1) Creation of molecular-based electronic and photonic mechanisms, materials and devices;

(2) Organization, assembly and interconnection of multiple scale components (from nanostructures to microcomponents) onto silicon materials and also, potentially, within the perimeters of microelectronic and optoelectronic structures on the silicon substrate;

(3) Production of multiple layer nanocomposite materials;

(4) Creation and manufacturing of novel photonic and electronic devices such as high-density 2D and 3D data storage materials and devices or photonic crystal structures;

(5) Development of low density optical memory for applications in authentication, anti-counterfeiting, and encryption of information in document or goods; and

(6) Heterogeneous integration of hybrid devices such as large area light emitting flat panel arrays, displays and medical diagnostic devices with the fabrication platform itself becoming the final product(such as a flat panel array or display screen).

About Nanogen

Nanogen, Inc. develops and commercializes products for the in vitro diagnostics market. The company seeks to establish the unique, open-architecture NanoChip® Molecular Biology Workstation and NanoChip® Cartridge as the standard platform for the prediction, diagnosis and treatment of genetic and infectious diseases. Nanogen also offers Analyte Specific Reagents and related products to research and clinical reference labs for the detection of a variety of diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, Alzheimer's disease, and cardiovascular disease. The company is advancing its nanotechnology research to further its mission of delivering advanced diagnostic products to physicians and patients. For additional information please visit Nanogen's website at www.nanogen.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements, including whether patents owned or licensed by Nanogen will be developed into products, whether Nanogen's NanoChip® System can be successfully further commercialized, whether other products under development can be successfully developed and commercialized, whether results reported by our customers or partners can be identically replicated, whether ASRs currently sold by Nanogen will become FDA-approved molecular diagnostic test kits, whether Nanogen will be successful in developing additional ASRs and protocols utilizing the NanoChip® System, and other risks and uncertainties discussed under the caption "Factors That May Affect Results" and elsewhere in Nanogen's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2002 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Nanogen disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Source: Nanogen, Inc.