Human Genome Completion Is Just the Beginning Incyte's President and Chief Scientist Comments on Implications of Mapping The Human Genome at the Nasdaq Biotech & Infotech Summit PALO ALTO, Calif., June 26 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Incyte Genomics, Inc. (Nasdaq: INCY) today heralded the completion of the first working draft of the human genome, noting that it marks a significant milestone in science and future discovery. "The availability of genome sequence is just the beginning. Scientists now want to understand the genes and the role they play in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease," said Randy Scott, Ph.D., President and Chief Scientific Officer of Incyte, during a presentation at the Nasdaq Biotech and Infotech Summit held at the University of California at Berkeley's Haas School of Business. Incyte has been systematically isolating and characterizing transcribed genes since 1991, resulting in the world's largest database of transcribed genes. The company pioneered the genomic information business by focusing on the discovery and analysis of genes as they are expressed in healthy and diseased cells and tissues. That data is immensely valuable in helping scientists more quickly decipher the genes from the genome sequence data that is now available. The human genome is made up of approximately three billion "base pairs" or letters. Genes, which are broken into pieces and buried among the three billion letters, comprise roughly five percent of the genome. The remaining 95 percent are commonly known as "junk" DNA. When the body needs a gene to be turned on, or perform a function, the body transcribes the DNA into RNA and splices out the so-called "junk" DNA to form a mature messenger RNA. These transcribed genes, or messenger RNA, are then translated into specific proteins that carry out most of the functions of the human body. "The integration of raw genome sequence data into our transcribed gene database puts Incyte in a unique position to identify the multiple forms of genes as they are expressed within the body, what diseases they may be involved in, and the location of the genes on the chromosomes," added Scott. "Over the last decade, scientists around the world have been using this information to accelerate their efforts for developing safer, more effective treatments for disease. Because we have been working with transcribed genes, we can provide researchers with physical copies of the genes, or clones, in our databases. Clones are an invaluable resource for scientists who want to conduct further lab research." Scott also commented, "In the last two years, we have used our expertise in gene identification as a basis for expanding our business to focus on the next generation of scientifically and commercially valuable information after genome sequence -- gene expression, proteomics and SNPs. The resources we have developed provide researchers with a comprehensive solution for understanding the molecular basis of disease." Incyte Genomics, Inc. is the leading provider of an integrated platform of genomic technologies designed to aid in the understanding of the molecular basis of disease. Incyte develops and markets genomic databases and partnership programs, genomic data management software, microarray-based gene expression services, related reagents and services. These products, programs and services assist pharmaceutical and biotechnology researchers with all phases of drug discovery and development including gene discovery, understanding disease pathways, identifying new disease targets and the discovery and correlation of gene sequence variation to disease. For more information, visit Incyte's web site at www.incyte.com. Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, including statements as to the ability of Incyte's databases and other products to assist and accelerate drug discovery efforts, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially. For a discussion of factors that may cause results to differ, see Incyte's SEC reports, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2000. Incyte disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements. SOURCE Incyte Genomics, Inc. CONTACT: John Vuko, Chief Financial Officer, 650-845-4106, or Teresa Gaines, Corporate Communications, 650-621-8743, both of Incyte Genomics, Inc. Web site: http://www.incyte.com