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April 24, 2002

AnVil Announces Pilot Project with Genomics Collaborative to Pursue Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatments

Burlington, MA - April 24, 2002 - In a move to accelerate the development of new Rheumatoid Arthritis drugs, life sciences pioneer AnVil today announced a pilot project with Genomics Collaborative, Inc. (GCI) of Cambridge, to apply AnVil's analysis and visualization expertise and tools to GCI's DNA microarray data.

The main objective of the project is to develop integrated visual and analytic systems that provide the clear and high-quality information that GCI needs to make rapid and informed decisions. AnVil will identify gene expression patterns that can be used in the development of drugs to treat inflammatory diseases, with a primary focus on Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Richard Gill, President and CEO of AnVil, said "AnVil is excited to work with GCI. We're looking forward to collaborating with the GCI team to explore a range of alternative approaches to the design of data analysis and visualization systems, delivering decision-quality information to scientific and management teams. GCI is an ideal partner in this project, given its vast informational resources and expertise."

"We're pleased to be working with AnVil in this pursuit," said Michael Pellini, M.D., Chief Executive Officer at GCI. "GCI is committed to advancing the creation of novel treatments for anti-inflammatory disorders, and our initial studies are focused on Rheumatoid Arthritis. AnVil's combination of the necessary analytical and visualization competencies makes it a powerful complement to our own data and capabilities."

About Genomics Collaborative
Genomics Collaborative, Inc. ("GCI") is a functional genomics company with a clinical approach to discovery, focused on developing high value, proprietary intellectual property on its own account and in collaboration with bio-pharmaceutical companies and academic medical centers. To address a critical bottleneck in genomics-based drug discovery, GCI has built and maintains Global Repository™, an unparalleled, large-scale resource of appropriately consented clinical research material, including human DNA, sera, and snap-frozen tissue samples, linked to detailed medical information collected from patient populations worldwide. The Company has prospectively enrolled over 100,000 patients in Global Repository and patient recruitment continues in cardiovascular disease, inflammatory disorders, metabolic disorders, various cancers, and other disease states. GCI applies a suite of high throughput genomic analysis tools in research conducted leveraging the assets of Global Repository, placing the Company at the forefront of next generation target discovery and validation. Pharmaceutical researchers are able to utilize GCI's Global Repository via the GCI Access™ program.

The Company's web address is www.genomicsinc.com.

About AnVil
AnVil is a pioneering life sciences discovery company that turns data into knowledge. AnVil partners with life sciences, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and healthcare companies, enabling them to see and interpret multiple data sets in integrated, information-rich views. This approach turns data into decision-quality information, generating informed decisions faster and more accurately. AnVil's combination of scientific perspective, expertise and high-dimensional technology uncovers the limitless possibilities within complex data sets.

AnVil is based in Burlington, Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.anvilinfo.com, or call 1-781-272-1600. E-mail inquiries should be sent to: info@anvilinfo.com.

Copyright © 2002 AnVil, Inc. All rights reserved.

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