TUCSON, Ariz., Dec. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Ventana Medical Systems, Inc.
(Nasdaq: VMSI) announced today that it filed suit in the U.S. District Court
in Phoenix, Arizona against CytoLogix Corporation (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
for infringement of its patent covering the methods and systems for
controlling the scheduling of multiple biological sample assays in an
automated instrument.
Ventana believes that CytoLogix's Artisan (TM) Staining System infringes
its U.S. Patent Number 5,355,439, issued on Oct. 11, 1994. The suit seeks
unspecified damages, as well as a permanent injunction against CytoLogix.
The Artisan(TM) Staining System is currently being marketed by CytoLogix to
histology labs for automating special stains and immunohistochemistry stains.
Christopher M. Gleeson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ventana,
stated, "We have carefully reviewed the scope and strength of our patent and
the approach used by the Artisan to schedule automated processing tasks.
Based on this review, we are confident that CytoLogix's product infringes
Ventana's patent."
Gleeson added, "Ventana will vigorously defend our intellectual property
portfolio. As the Company that has pioneered automated slide staining we have
a broad intellectual property portfolio that we will use to protect the
interests of our shareholders and their investment in the development of our
products."
Safe Harbor Statement: Statements in this press release which are not
strictly historical are "forward-looking" statements that are made pursuant to
the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, which may
cause the company's actual results in the future to differ materially from the
expected results. The risks and uncertainties that may affect the results of
the company's business may include general economic conditions, market
acceptance of new automated histology products, continued success in asset
management and other factors that are described in the company's specific
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Ventana develops, manufactures and markets instrument/reagent systems that
automate tissue preparation and slide staining in histology laboratories
worldwide. Ventana's systems are important tools used in the diagnosis and
treatment of cancer and infectious diseases.
For more information on Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. via facsimile at no
additional cost, simply dial 1-800-PRO-INFO and enter the stock symbol "VMSI".
SOURCE Ventana Medical Systems, Inc.
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CONTACT:
Christopher Gleeson, President and Chief
Executive Officer, 520-887-2155, Analysts, Kathy Brunson, Media,
Joyce Hanson, 312-266-7800, of The Financial Relations Board for
Ventana Medical Systems
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