GlaxoSmithKline Invests in Golden Helix, Inc. to Bring the Genetics Revolution to the Practice of Medicine

Bozeman, Montana (May 05, 2001) - Golden Helix, Inc., a leader in data analysis software for pharmacogenomics, has entered into a multi-year strategic relationship with GlaxoSmithKline for the development of software that could significantly enhance the impact of genetics on health care. As part of the agreement, GlaxoSmithKline has acquired a 15 percent interest in Golden Helix, a privately held company. The decision to invest came after GlaxoSmithKline collaborated for two years in the development of HelixTree®, Golden Helix's proprietary software.

“The diseases that affect millions of people, such as Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, and diabetes are likely influenced by a number of interacting genes,” said Christophe Lambert, Ph.D., a Duke University-educated computer scientist and CEO of Golden Helix. “To make things more complex, the environment affects you as well – it's both nature and nurture. HelixTree delivers the statistical power to unravel these complex interactions. What makes it different is its ability to sift through thousands of interacting variables – both genetic and environmental – to find those that are relevant to clinical outcomes.” By identifying the factors that contribute to therapeutic efficacy, the pharmaceutical and biotech industry can develop medicines that deliver maximum efficacy and minimal side effects. This should eventually translate to increased efficiency for pharmaceutical Research and Development.

“Recent advances in molecular genetics techniques have led to an enormous increase in the amount of data collected,” said Dr. Allen Roses, Senior Vice President Genetics Research at GlaxoSmithKline. “By using HelixTree, we hope to more rapidly identify the genetic factors that contribute to the safety and efficacy of our compounds in development.”

“HelixTree will help integrate genetics into pharmaceutical development and the health care system,” said George Makris, vice president of marketing and sales for Golden Helix. “We have known for some time that genetic and environmental factors contribute to the efficacy of medicines. HelixTree will allow scientists to pinpoint these factors to improve health outcomes for patients.”

Golden Helix is working to create an industry standard for the analysis of genetic data in clinical trials. The company is forming strategic relationships with interested pharmaceutical companies. \

About Golden Helix, Inc.

Golden Helix is the leader in subject-specific data analysis software for application in the emerging field of pharmacogenomics. HelixTree®, the company's proprietary statistical data mining software, is capable of analyzing very large, complex data sets. By extracting useful knowledge out of large data sets, it's software helps clients make better decisions, save time, minimize costs and achieve competitive edge. General information about Golden Helix is available at www.goldenhelix.com.