Assay Designs, Inc. and the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Foundation announce collaboration

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Sept. 15, 2008 – Assay Designs and the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Foundation (SMAF) are very pleased to announce a collaborative agreement for development of reagents and assays for SMN (Survival Motor Neuron) protein to expedite drug discovery and development efforts for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), the leading genetic cause of mortality in infants and toddlers. “Assay Designs is excited and proud to have been selected by the SMA Foundation, and to help enable better understanding and ultimately improved treatment for this debilitating illness,” commented Dan Calvo, President and CEO of Assay Designs. Providing a reliable and widely-available ELISA kit for measuring SMN protein levels will greatly simplify and accelerate the process of assessing the efficacy of potential drugs in clinical trials, which is key to the successful development of new therapeutics for this devastating disease. “We are pleased to bring results from the research sector out for general use in the community,” states Loren Eng, president of the SMA Foundation.

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