Isis Announces Award of Up to $8.4 Million in New Government Grants and Contracts to Its Ibis Biosciences Subsidiary for Pathogen Detection and Human...( CARLSBAD Calif. Oct. 3 /- IsisPha...)

CARLSBAD, Calif., Oct. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ISIS) announced today that its majority-owned subsidiary, Ibis Biosciences, Inc. (Ibis), was awarded government grants and contracts from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and other government agencies totaling up to $8.4 million. These awards will fund the utilization of several Ibis assays through Ibis' service laboratory to characterize samples provided by the government sponsor and will provide support for further development of assays to support government-sponsored projects. The focus of these projects ranges from human forensics, to detection and identification of influenza viruses and other pathogens, that could have a profound effect on animal and human health.

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) agency awarded Ibis up to $4.2 million to fund the utilization of Ibis' commercial influenza assay to identify and differentiate avian influenza strains, to distinguish high pathogenicity from low pathogenicity strains, and to aid in the tracking of avian influenza transmissions. The contract also provides funding for the development of assays to detect a broad range of additional agricultural pathogens that are considered important to animal health and that could have a significant impact on the U.S.'s agricultural economy.

"We are pleased with the continuing support from our government partners and the opportunity to expand our commercial applications, especially in areas that are vital to our health and economy such as agriculture. As we work closely with the USDA to develop additional products that can aid in the monitoring and surveillance of avian flu, we
'/>"/>