MDL Information Systems, Inc. Releases First Industrial-scale High
Throughput Screening Package

FIRST COMMERCIAL SOLUTION TO SUPPORT TRUE HTS OPERATIONS

SAN LEANDRO, CALIFORNIA--APRIL 22, 1996--MDL Information Systems, Inc.
(Nasdaq National Market System: MDLI), the leading supplier of chemical
information management systems, today announced the release of MDL
SCREEN--the first client/server information management system for high
throughput screening. Based on the industry-standard ORACLE RDBMS search
engine, MDL SCREEN is designed to provide maximum control and flexibility
at each stage of the high throughput screening (HTS) process, including
experimental design, data validation, and lead optimization.

With its scalable client/server architecture, MDL SCREEN supports HTS labs
of any size. It interacts with robots and other automation to manage the
high volumes of data generated during daily operations and makes screening
data stored on the central server available to scientists throughout an
organization. MDL SCREEN facilitates communication and decision making,
and it easily integrates with MDL's ISIS (Integrated Scientific
Information System). ISIS enables researchers outside the immediate
screening group to perform complex searches on HTS data.

"High throughput screening represents one of the most important advances in
pharmaceutical and agrochemical research in decades," said Steve Goldby,
CEO and chairman of MDL. "We see the release of MDL SCREEN as a major
opportunity for life science companies. Our system gives researchers the
control they need to manage HTS programs on a big scale--some companies
are already testing 10,000 samples per day. We spent more than a year
working with leading scientists at three biotechnology companies to
develop an HTS system to meet their needs. MDL SCREEN is among the first
commercial applications built with ORACLE Power Objects, a technology that
helped us refine the software quickly and target PC and Macintosh clients
at the same time."

Complete Support for the HTS Workflow

MDL SCREEN presents complex data in intuitive, easy-to-understand views,
and it guides a wide range of users--from scientists to
administrators--through the HTS process. For example, scientists can
create and edit plate formats in a graphical representation of a 96-well
microtitre plate.

For sample preparation, MDL SCREEN includes a "Sample Manager" which helps
scientists register new sample data, locate existing samples, queue
samples for placement on plates, and queue samples to be run in specific
assays. MDL SCREEN's "Plate Manager" uses a library approach to make the
data associated with specific plates readily accessible and easy to apply
to other plates. This enables researchers to edit plates, create daughter
plates, queue plates for specific assays, and so on.

After samples and plates are designed, specified and queued, MDL SCREEN's
"Runset Manager" helps scientists group plates to be run in specific
assays on certain dates. The system stores important data about each plate
(such as the history of freeze-thaw cycles) which makes it easier to
decide which plates to run in a particular assay and in what order.

In the past, once an assay had been run, researchers had to sift through
mountains of data to discern significant patterns. MDL SCREEN's "Decision
Manager" provides several types of analyses to help project team members
identify and isolate anomalous results. After MDL SCREEN has validated the
data, it releases information to the corporate database. Further analyses
can help identify active compounds and queue them for optimization.

Three biotechnology companies assisted in the development of MDL SCREEN:
Signal Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Terrapin Technologies, Inc., and Neurocrine
Biosciences, Inc. In addition, leading robotics companies have announced
plans to integrate their technologies with MDL SCREEN. These firms include
ROBOCON Ges. m.b.H., SAGIAN, Inc., Scitec Laboratory Automation, S.A., and
Tomtec, Inc.

About High Throughput Screening (HTS)

HTS generates a rich set of diverse leads by quickly evaluating thousands
of samples using sophisticated assays run repetitively by robots. In
addition to its unprecedented volume, HTS data is more complex than that
produced by traditional methods. Rather than focusing solely on individual
samples housed in individual wells, discovery scientists now must consider
such factors as edge effects, time effects, freeze-thaw cycles, and
robotics performance. Researchers using HTS also need well managed systems
that support decision making by verifying assay efficacy, sorting related
data, and tracking samples.

About MDL

Established in 1978, MDL Information Systems, Inc. is the leading
commercial supplier of chemical information management software, chemical
information databases, and related services to the pharmaceutical,
agrochemical, and chemical industries. The company's software and database
products enable its customers to discover and develop new products more
rapidly by allowing scientists to access and use scientific information
more effectively.

The statements which are not historical facts contained in this release are
forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties,
including, but not limited to, product demand and market acceptance risks,
the effect of economic conditions, the impact of competitive products and
pricing, product development, commercialization and technological
difficulties, and other risks detailed in the Company's Securities and
Exchange Commission filings. MDL has headquarters in San Leandro,
California with sales offices worldwide.
 
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