TOKYO, JAPAN and RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., U.S.A. (October 27, 2005)

  SC BioSciences Corporation, a leading provider of innovative life science discovery and development solutions in Japan, and Qualyst, Inc., a leader in the development and commercialization of novel and proprietary absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) products, today announced that the companies have formed an alliance in which SC BioSciences will act as Qualyst’s exclusive agent for commercialization of Qualyst’s proprietary B-CLEAR® system in Japan. Financial details were not disclosed.

  B-CLEAR® is an in vitro sandwich-cultured hepatocyte system for the assessment of hepatobiliary disposition, biliary clearance and drug transport. Use of B-CLEAR® early in compound research can accelerate development and significantly reduce expenditures compared to testing in whole animal models. B-CLEAR® offers research organizations the ability to investigate the role of specific transporters in the hepatobiliary disposition of a compound and assess the potential for adverse interactions.

  “B-CLEAR® is a first-in-class technology, offering a novel approach to generate important data on bioavailability and safety,” said Mr. Shinichi Kitamura president of SC BioSciences. “Our customers in Japan are leaders in applying ADME research in new product development, and have already expressed great interest in utilizing B-CLEAR® in their research programs.”

  “We are pleased to work with SC BioSciences to commercialize B-CLEAR® in Japan,” said Mr. Scott Neuville, Qualyst president and CEO. “SC BioSciences has proven expertise in the successful commercialization of cutting edge technologies in the Japanese life science market, and our alliance will facilitate access of B-CLEAR® to Japanese customers.”

About SC BioSciences Corporation:
SC BioSciences is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation, which is one of Japan's leading trading companies (founded 1919, employees 5,500, gross trading profit US$4B). SC BioSciences' mission is to identify and commercially introduce cutting-edge life science technologies, including instrumentation, reagents and platform technologies, into the Japanese marketplace. For more information on SC BioSciences, please visit the company website at www.scbio.co.jp.

About Qualyst, Inc.
Qualyst commercializes novel and proprietary ADMET products for drug discovery and development. Qualystís products allow pharmaceutical and biotechnology researchers to make faster, better decisions regarding drug candidate compounds, saving valuable time and research dollars in the process. Qualyst, Inc. was founded on discoveries from breakthrough research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2001. For additional information, please refer to the company's web site at www.Qualyst.com or call 919-313-6500.

CONTACT:

Ian J. Mehr
Vice President, Business Development
Qualyst, Inc.
919-313-6507
info[AT]qualyst[DOT]com
www.Qualyst.com