IO INFORMATICS FORMS NEW WORKING GROUP TO FOCUS ON HYPOTHESIS GENERATION FOR TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH

EMERYVILLE, CA RTP, NC July 5, 2007 — IO Informatics, Inc. (www.io-informatics.com) is pleased to announce the formation of a working group to focus on semantic applications for hypothesis generation in translational research. Semantic software applications use the “RDF” (Resource Description Framework) data model to enhance Life Science researchers’ ability to understand how data fit together in complex biological systems, and to explore and share information about data and their relationships to diseases and treatments. The working group’s mandate will be to extend IO Informatics’ technology and user workflow to refine and deliver methods for improved biomarker qualification and hypothesis generation to the translational research community. Its membership will be made up of senior life science researchers from leading industry and research institutes.

"We are pleased to announce this new working group. As applications based on emerging semantic technologies move from the theoretical to the practical, there is a great opportunity to improve methods for data association across research and knowledge sources. This will facilitate better understanding of experimental findings and their underlying mechanisms, to improve hypothesis generation and qualification,” commented Robert Stanley, President and CEO of IO Informatics.

Stanley went on to say, “The mandate of the working group is to identify challenges and areas for focus and to work toward providing solutions to critical issues. I am thrilled to welcome such notable scientists as Pat Hurban, Director of Technology Development and Alan Higgins, Senior Director of Translational Research at Cogenics, Inc. a Division of Clinical Data, Inc., Jonas Almeida, Professor of Bioinformatics at the Division of Quantitative Sciences of MD Anderson Cancer Center and Ted Slater, Senior Manager – Indications and Pathways Center of Emphasis at Pfizer, to the group.”

The group will focus on refining Sentient software technology and use cases for biomarker identification and hypothesis generation in translational research. Additional members of the working group will be announced shortly.

Jonas Almeida of MD Anderson said, “I am excited about the opportunity to interact with IOI and the other members of the group. The mandate of the group, to advance the state of semantic software technology – specifically to help us solve critical issues in our space - is critical to the understanding and growth of Semantic applications. Here at MD Anderson, we have been doing a lot of work in the semantic software area, particularly in the areas of cancer disease modeling and creation of a focused semantic database. We look forward to contributing to and benefiting from our participation in the IOI Working Group”.

Pat Hurban of Cogenics said, “We have enjoyed and benefitted from our past interactions with IOI and are looking forward to continuing the relationship in the working group. Semantic technologies have come a long way since their inception and we feel the formation of the working group will be a welcome progression to this scientific area for both us and the scientific research community as a whole.”

The IOI Working Group expects to complete its mandate by October 2007.

About IO Informatics
IO Informatics’ Sentient suite of software products enables biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical and other life science researchers to structure and define complex data relationships, view these relationships, query them, and capitalize on them — all within a secure, compliant, auditable framework that helps organizations accumulate and leverage knowledge. IO Informatics (www.io-informatics.com) is located in Emeryville, California.

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