HAMBRECHT & QUIST HEALTHCARE CONFERENCE, SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 8
/PRNewswire/ -- Biocircuits is a presenter at the 1997 Hambrecht & Quist
Healthcare Conference:  Biocircuits is the first company to develop and launch
a small, easy to use immunoassay system designed specifically for the
physicians office and other small labs.  The system is named IOS and consists
of a small desk top analyzer that sells to the end user for $7,000.  The
proprietary technology of the Company is embodied in a plastic cartridge that
contains all of the reagents in a dry form.  The cartridge has features that
allow for the rehydration of the reagents, the timed movement of the liquids,
separation of the bound analyte and the subsequent signal to be read by the
instrument.  All cartridges are factory calibrated and Quality Control has
been built into the system such that the FDA granted the request for a claim
that the end user need run only weekly controls instead of the daily controls,
as is normally required.
    The system is designed primarily for physician offices that have fewer
than ten doctors.  At the current time, these offices have no viable
alternative other than sending out their immunoassay tests even though they
may have the capability to do chemistry and hematology testing.  There are
approximately 41,000 such sites in the United States.
    Biocircuits launched the system in March of 1996 with a cartridge that
does an FTI (T4 & T Uptake) assay.  The serum hCG assay was cleared by the FDA
in September of 1996, the Quantitative hCG assay in November of 1996 and the
TSH assay in December.  The Company has assays for Free T4, Digoxin and PSA in
development.
    The Company raised a total of $13.3 million in 1996 with $5.3 million
coming from a private placement and the rest from exercise of various warrants
previously issued.
    During 1996, the Company developed a second generation of the proprietary
cartridge that improved assay performance and simplified manufacturing.  The
first assay introduced in this cartridge was the TSH assay in December of
1996.  In 1997, the Company plans to introduce the two hCG assays as well as
converting the FTI assay to the new cartridge.
    The Company expects to begin in 1997 development of Strep A and Chlamydia
assays.  In addition, the Company is evaluating reagents for an osteoporosis
marker and for a HbA1c assay.
    Biocircuits is currently developing three additional assays for its IOS
system: a PSA test for the management of prostate cancer patients, a Digoxin
test for monitoring the therapeutic usage of this drug in the treatment of
heart disease and a Free T4 test for diagnosing true clinical thyroid status.
The Company currently plans to continue developing additional immunodiagnostic
assays that are commonly requested by office-based physicians.  The Company
believes that there is a potential market of $350 million to $400 million in
annual reagent revenues for its assays already cleared by the FDA, assays
currently in development and assays for which development is expected to begin
in 1997.
    Actual results may differ materially from the above forward-looking
statements due to a number of important factors, and will be dependent upon
the Company's ability, directly or through third parties, to successfully
manufacture and market its existing and proposed products, as well as the
timely development and regulatory approval of additional products.  These
factors are more fully discussed in the Company's most recent reports on Forms
10-K and 10-Q and the Company's Resale Registration Statement No. 333-13673.

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