SAN DIEGO, CA; QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC, October 21, 2004 - GeneOhm Sciences, Inc. (GSI) and Infectio Diagnostic (IDI), Inc. today announced their plans to merge and form a molecular diagnostic company with the technology, intellectual property, leadership and expertise to serve all major areas of molecular diagnostic testing.

“The merger of GSI and IDI brings together a cost-effective platform for multiplexing, a broad portfolio of molecular targets and the capability to develop molecular diagnostic products for infectious diseases. Together, GSI and IDI will create a rich pipeline of products serving the unmet needs in key areas of medical diagnostics,” said Peter Klemm, PhD, CEO of GeneOhm Sciences. Dr. Klemm will continue as CEO in the combined company. “This merger brings the multidetection platform that will apply our broad molecular IP to the needs of infectious disease diagnostics; our combined productswill then fulfill the entire needs of our customers.” said Jean Pierre Gayral, PhD, President of IDI. Dr. Gayral will be President of the Canadian Organization and Senior Vice President for Infectious Disease in the combined company.

IDI has established itself as a premier provider of molecular diagnostics in infectious diseases with two FDA and Health Canada-cleared assays that provide clinicians with rapid response solutions in two critical areas: one hour detection directly from the clinical specimen of Group B Streptococcus colonization in pregnant women at time of delivery and one hour detection directly from the clinical specimen of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the most critical antibiotic resistant bacteria. These products are the first to be cleared by Health Canada and the US FDA as meeting the specifications required to replace culture for microorganism detection. The companywill continue to supply its proprietary assays on the Cepheid Smart Cycler® platform.

GSI has developed its proprietary platform, ePlex_, for electrochemical detection of nucleic acids and propriety methods of sample processing. This technology is the basis for multiplexed molecular diagnostic applications in inherited diseases, infectious diseases and oncology. The company will release the first products on the ePlex™ platform in early 2005

Professor Michel G. Bergeron of Laval University, Quebec, and founder of IDI, remarked, “I am enthusiastic about joining with a team that shares my vision for developing molecular diagnostic products with the potential to change the practice of medicine.” Jacqueline K. Barton, PhD, Arthur and Marian Hanisch Professor of Chemistry at Caltech and GSI’s founder said, “the scientific leadership that has been established at IDI represents the kind of partner that affirms my belief that multiplexed molecular diagnostics can be a force for change in the way patients are diagnosed and treated.”

The combined company will maintain its facilities in Quebec and in San Diego, creating competence centers that leverage the unique expertise of each organization. “The merger of GSI and IDI creates a company with unparalleled breadth in the growing molecular diagnostics field,” said James Blair, PhD, of Domain Associates, LLC. Ron Lennox, DPhil, of CHL Medical Partners, LLC, and Rick Blume of CB Health Ventures added that, “by creating an organization with strong proprietary positions in innovative technology and molecular content, we are establishing a sustainable leadership position that will continue to grow as more and more applications for molecular diagnostics in human medicine are established.” Blair, Lennox and Blume, current investors in GSI, are part of a syndicate of leading venture capital firms that will fund the merger and provide operating capital to support the combined company’s initiatives in research, development, sales and marketing.

IDI was financed since its founding by a group of private investors and public funds from Société générale de financement and Innovatech Quebec, which believe that the transaction will be beneficial to both companies. The new company will benefit from the IDI R&D and manufacturing infrastructure built in Quebec City.

The proposed merger, which is subject to approvals by the shareholders of companies, the Superior Court of Quebec, appropriate securities authorities, as well as customary closing conditions, is expected to close in November 2004.

About GeneOhm Sciences, Inc.

GeneOhm Sciences is a molecular diagnostic company located in San Diego, CA. The company is applying its integrated proprietary technology portfolio, which includes electrochemistry, sample processing and chip fabrication, to serve the unmet diagnostic needs in a wide range of diseases including inherited diseases, infectious diseases and oncology. Established in 2001 with technology developed over a decade by Professor Jacqueline K. Barton at the California Institute of Technology, GeneOhm Sciences has attracted a group of leading investors and scientists with years of experience in the life science and electronics fields. For more information, visit the company’s web site at www.geneohm.com.

About Infectio Diagnostic, Inc.

Infectio Diagnostic is a Canadian biotechnology firm specializing in the development of diagnostic products that allow for the rapid detection and identification of a wide variety of infectious agents from human clinical specimens in less than one hour. These products provide a significantly more rapid response to clinicians by comparison with traditional methods, which often require several days. Infectio Diagnostic was formed in 1995 by Professor Michel G. Bergeron of Laval University, Quebec. For more information, visit the company’s web site at www.infectio.com.

Contact:

JC Kyrillos
GeneOhm Sciences
418-681-4343 ext. 229
jkyrillos@geneohm.com

Jean-Pierre Gayral
Infectio Diagnostic
858-334-6305
jpgayral@infectio.com