Released on: March 18, 2008, 6:41 am

Press Release Author: Rene Hermes

Industry: Biotech

Press Release Summary: Munich, Germany and Vienna, Austria - March, 18th 2008 -
Affiris GmbH announced today that it will integrate the Definiens Enterprise Image
IntelligenceT Suite in the company's Alzheimer's disease vaccination program. The
decision was based on the company's outstanding experience with Definiens software.
Affiris' business strategy focuses on rapid identification of drug candidates and
accelerated preclinical and clinical development. Matching Affiris requirements
comprehensively, Definiens provides automated image analysis solutions with
reliable, fast and consistent results.

Press Release Body: Munich, Germany and Vienna, Austria - March, 18th 2008 - Affiris
GmbH announced today that it will integrate the Definiens Enterprise Image
IntelligenceT Suite in the company's Alzheimer's disease vaccination program. The
decision was based on the company's outstanding experience with Definiens software.
Affiris' business strategy focuses on rapid identification of drug candidates and
accelerated preclinical and clinical development. Matching Affiris requirements
comprehensively, Definiens provides automated image analysis solutions with
reliable, fast and consistent results.

Definiens - unparalleled image analysis coupled with time and cost saving
In order to launch its new AFFITOPETM vaccines, which facilitate the induction of a
desired antibody immune response, Affiris wants to streamline its processes and
control timelines more aggressively. One bottleneck common in preclinical stages is
the detailed analysis of a large amount of high content images. In the project the
challenge was automating high content image analysis of histological slides of mouse
brains. Crucial factors were the batch processing and job scheduling capabilities of
the Definiens software which enable efficient processing of files larger than 1 GB.
Definiens' automated image analysis will not only help Affiris to reduce costs and
save its scientific personnel time, but the results will also be more objective
compared to a manual approach.

Peptide-based vaccines against Alzheimer's disease
In November 2007 Affiris attracted public attention, when it was granted a
European-wide patent for key elements of its Alzheimer's disease vaccination
strategy. The hallmark of Alzheimer's disease are deposits of aggregated
beta-amyloid peptide in the brain. Beta-amyloid is removed from larger precursor
protein by the body's own enzymes, in healthy as well as afflicted persons. It is
generally believed however, that in Alzheimer's disease the regulation of this
removal is disturbed, leading to higher amounts and/or more aggregation-prone
species of beta-amyloid. AFFITOPETM vaccines, invented and produced by Affiris, are
modified beta-amyloid-like peptides which elicit an immune response against the
aggregation-prone beta-amyloid, but not against the physiological precursor protein.
One such vaccine is currently undergoing clinical tests, while others are still in
the preclinical stage.

Dr. Markus Mandler, Head of Neurodegeneration Department at Affiris, said "The
Definiens Enterprise Image Intelligence Suite is an open platform that can be easily
integrated with the existing hardware as well as image acquisition devices and
software. It enables even untrained users to calibrate and execute versatile image
analysis workflows. Thanks to the user-friendliness of the platform and the
excellent support provided by Definiens, the implementation process will be very
short and the technology is expected to become part of our work routine as early as
February 2008."

About AFFiRiS
AFFiRiS GmbH develops peptide-based vaccines for the treatment of Alzheimer's
disease, atherosclerosis and other serious diseases. The company has established its
AFFITOME platform technologies. It employs 30 highly qualified members of staff on
600m² of rented laboratory facilities at the Campus Vienna Biocenter
(www.affiris.com).
AFFITOPE and AFFITOME are registered trademarks of Affiris GmbH.
Definiens in Life Sciences
By automating image analysis on an enterprise level, Definiens supports Life Science
organizations to analyze and interpret vast numbers of images accurately and
consistently. Definiens improves the measurement of cell assays, the examination of
tissue samples and the interpretation of non-invasive imaging, enabling high-content
screening, digital pathology and translational medicine.

About Definiens
Definiens is the number one Enterprise Image Intelligence company for analyzing and
interpreting images on every scale, from microscopic cell structures to satellite
images. The Definiens Cognition Network Technology®, developed by Nobel laureate
Prof. Gerd Binnig and his team, is an advanced and robust context-based technology
designed to fulfill the image analysis requirements of the Life and Earth sciences
markets. The technology is modeled on the powerful human cognitive perception
processes to extract intelligence from images. Definiens provides organizations with
faster image analysis results, allowing deeper insights enabling better business
decisions. The company is headquartered in Munich, Germany and has offices
throughout the United States. Further information is available at www.definiens.com

Definiens, Definiens Cellenger, Definiens Cognition Network Technology, Definiens
eCognition, Enterprise Image Intelligence and Understanding Images are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Definiens.



Web Site: http://www.definiens.com

Contact Details: Definiens AG
Trappentreustrasse 1
80339 München
Germany
Tel. +49 (0)89 231180-0
Fax +49 (0)89 231180-90