SIGMA-ALDRICH LAUNCHES INNOVATIVE ONLINE TOOL, PATHFINDER – A COLLECTION OF COMPREHENSIVE, BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS

Sigma-Aldrich (NASDAQ: SIAL), a leading $1.7 billion Life Science company, announces the launch of PathFinder, an innovative online resource that offers a free and comprehensive collection of interactive biological pathways.

PathFinder presents biological signaling and metabolic pathways in an interactive, graphical representation of the cell that researchers can use to explore the relationships between different pathway components. The online tool provides links to appropriate, high-quality products from Sigma-Aldrich’s first-in-class range, including small molecules, antibodies, enzymes, QPCR components and siRNAis for gene knockdown. Additional support is provided through links to detailed product descriptions and technical articles. PathFinder, developed in conjunction with bioinformatics specialist Protein Lounge, will be launched initially with some 20 pathways.

Once completed later this year, the application will contain over 100 signal transduction pathways. “As we move from genome to proteome to fully integrative biological approaches, the importance of exploring and exploiting the interrelationships of cell signaling and metabolic pathways in both basic and drug discovery research is increasing,” said Keith Watling, Director of Strategic Marketing, Cell Signaling at Sigma-Aldrich. “Our online PathFinder resource provides a tool to help integrate products across complex signaling and metabolic pathways. It will help users visualize the components involved, along with the links between pathways, and will build a valuable tool to accelerate the pace of discovery. It will provide scientists with a quick overview of pathways they are working on, and will enable them to find products for their target molecules efficiently and with relevant additional information.”

To learn more about PathFinder, please visit Sigma-Aldrich at the Experimental Biology Conference in San Francisco April 1-5, 2006, at booth #522 or online.