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[May 24, 2005]

Invitrogen Receives the Frost & Sullivan Excellence in Research Award for its RNAi Design Algorithm

PALO ALTO, Calif. --(Business Wire)-- May 24, 2005 -- Frost & Sullivan's recent analysis, Advances in RNAi - A Global Technology Assessment, selected Invitrogen Corp. (NASDAQ:IVGN) as the recipient of the Frost & Sullivan Award for Excellence in Research and for developing BLOCK-iT(TM) RNAi Designer, a proprietary RNAi design algorithm. The company has also introduced a suite of associated RNAi products and services.


The BLOCK-iT RNAi Designer uses a highly advanced algorithm to design Invitrogen's proprietary Stealth(TM) RNAi, along with BLOCK-iT(TM) short interfering RNA (siRNA) and short hairpin RNA (shRNA) knockdown reagents. It not only helps to produce efficient RNAi molecules but also aids in the identification of unique sequences and relates these molecules to available genome databases.

"Invitrogen's Stealth RNAi comprises dsRNA molecules, which are chemically modified to not only minimize off-target effects but also to prevent non-specific effects," says Frost & Sullivan Senior Industry Analyst Giridhar Rao. "Apart from this, Stealth(TM) RNAi provides better stability in serum. This enables Stealth molecules to be employed for in-vivo applications. Also, this provides greater experimental flexibility in culture."

Stealth(TM) RNAi delivers highly specific, effective knockdown for successful RNAi results. Invitrogen provides access to Stealth(TM) RNAi molecules in two useful formats for human gene targets: bench-tested Validated Stealth(TM) RNAi DuoPaks to key signaling pathway components, each which contains two non-overlapping duplexes per gene, and the Stealth(TM) Select 3 RNAi Set which contains three pre-selected non-overlapping, duplexes to the human genome. Either provides a 100% guarantee that two independent, non-overlapping sequences will effectively knockdown expression of the target of interest by at least 70 percent, so results will be compatible with publication requirements. Customers can also utilize the BLOCK-iT(TM) RNAi Designer to create Custom Stealth(TM) RNAi molecules for work with other organisms or to achieve specific experimental results.

"The BLOCK-iT(TM) RNAi Designer and RNAi product line is a terrific example of Invitrogen scientists and bioinformaticists combining forces to bring top-notch tools to researchers doing RNAi," commented Claude Benchimol, Senior Vice President of R&D. "With these tools, researchers will be able to increase significantly the success of their RNAi experiments and achieve faster the results they need to advance their research."

This Frost & Sullivan Award is presented each year to the company that has conducted radical research capable of causing significant changes to its market. The results of its 'disruptive' research affect the market in terms of adoption, change, and competitive posture. Additionally, this Award acknowledges the company's commitment toward differentiating itself based on science-backed services.

"Apart from Stealth RNAi technology, Invitrogen has also developed a range of RNAi vector and control products, including the first tetracycline-inducible vector and lentiviral expression vectors," notes Rao. "Invitrogen possesses a strong and growing RNAi intellectual property portfolio and already has 37 new products in the market, which has caused a revenue growth of more than 30 percent for the company."

About Invitrogen Corp.

Invitrogen Corporation (NASDAQ:IVGN) provides products and services that support academic and government research institutions and pharmaceutical and biotech companies worldwide in their efforts to improve the human condition. The company provides essential life science technologies for disease research, drug discovery, and commercial bioproduction. Invitrogen's own research and development efforts are focused on breakthrough innovation in all major areas of biological discovery including functional genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics and cell biology -- placing Invitrogen's products in nearly every major laboratory in the world. Founded in 1987, Invitrogen is headquartered in Carlsbad, California and conducts business in more than 70 countries around the world. The company globally employs approximately 4,500 scientists and other professionals and had revenues of more than $1 billion in 2004. For more information, visit www.invitrogen.com

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, a global growth consulting company, has been partnering with clients to support the development of innovative strategies for more than 40 years. The company's industry expertise integrates growth consulting, growth partnership services, and corporate management training to identify and develop opportunities. Frost & Sullivan serves an extensive clientele that includes Global 1000 companies, emerging companies, and the investment community by providing comprehensive industry coverage that reflects a unique global perspective and combines ongoing analysis of markets, technologies, econometrics, and demographics. For more information, visit http://www.frost.com.

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