EMERYVILLE, CA, November 17, 2003 — Biotique Systems today announced that Monsanto, Vertex Pharmaceuticals and the National Yang-Ming University of Taiwan have subscribed to the company’s products and services for biological data integration, analysis and visualization. The company also announced it has introduced expanded security and consortia management tools for the Biotique Local Integration System (BLIS) to enable customers to better integrate and share data across research groups and geographical sites.

“We have chosen to work with Biotique because they have the right expertise in genomic data analysis and the type of client service approach that fits our needs,” said David Kovalic, Senior Bioinformaticist, Monsanto.

“We are delighted to be working with leading organizations like Monsanto, Vertex and Yang-Ming University to help them apply advanced informatics solutions that can bridge the gap between biological information, discovery research, and the development of important new therapies and products,” said Stephen Sanders, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Biotique Systems.

In the latest version of BLIS, Biotique has introduced new security and consortia management tools that complement information integration by enabling knowledge sharing among user groups and geographically dispersed sites.

“This global integration capability allows customers to safely connect different aspects of the R&D process,” said John Burke, President and Chief Scientific Officer of Biotique Systems. “By performing data integration in a manner that adapts to the structure of their organizations, our customers can achieve more productivity in their experiments and less waste on redundant reagents.”

Biotique’s flagship product is the Biotique Local Integration System (BLIS) – a flexible, cost-effective, and customizable framework for biological data integration that helps scientists bridge “data islands” to promote knowledge sharing and simplify the application of information assets to discovery and development. The system’s flexibility and intuitive operating environment offer opportunities for organizations to increase the value of their proprietary and third-party data resources and ultimately increase productivity.

Biotique offers a series of modules for BLIS designed to facilitate common functions, such as transcript profiling (BEAM) and comparative genomic tools (BMOD, BAGM), as well as a data refinery tool (BEDR) for the generation of novel intellectual property through splice variant detection. The product’s open framework also provides a customizable environment for users to easily link in-house developments, such as content repositories, algorithms and protocols, into the system.

About Biotique Systems
Biotique Systems is a privately held company that helps scientists in pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies more effectively and efficiently analyze biological data to advance life science research. With offices and distributors in the United States, Europe and Japan, Biotique Systems provides its innovative pharmacoinformatic software and services to a number of the world’s most successful biopharmaceutical companies, including Merck, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Monsanto. These and other customers are using Biotique’s solutions to integrate information from discovery programs across disparate research disciplines and geographic locations to facilitate knowledge sharing and organizational productivity.

Biotique is enabling the next generation of pharmaceutical discovery and development. For more information about Biotique Systems, call 510-595-3110, or e-mail inquire@biotiquesystems.com, or visit www.biotiquesystems.com.

About Monsanto
Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) is a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food quality. For more information on Monsanto, see: www.monsanto.com.

About National Yang-Ming University
The National Yang-Ming University, formerly the Yang-Ming Medical College, is a medical-based university that has been one of the leading institutes of biomedical research in Taiwan. The University includes the School of Medicine, the School of Medical Technology and Biomedical Engineering, the School of Life Science, the School of Nursing, and the School of Dentistry. The University has a number of medically oriented Institutes offering graduate training as well as a wide range of research centers, including the Genomic Research Center. For more information about the University, see: http://www.ym.edu.tw/