Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Deploys Rosetta Biosoftware Systems for a Pilot Study in Bioinformatics

Rosetta Biosoftware announced today that the Rosetta Elucidator® system for LC/MS protein expression analysis and the Rosetta Resolver® system for gene expression data analysis will be used for the study of Bioinformatics at the National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev (NIBN) at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Headed by Eitan Rubin, Ph.D., from the NIBN and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, the computational biotechnology team will use these systems as a pilot study aimed at establishing a National Test Bed that will allow researchers throughout Israel to evaluate software and databases for biotechnology research. The systems will also be used in a research program lead by researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science, in which plant response to stress is being studied. "We are very excited about the opportunities that the Rosetta Resolver and Elucidator systems open for us," said Eitan Rubin, Ph.D., who leads the pilot project. "The combination of industrial strength and ease-of-use that both systems offer allow us to create a resource that will not only help us in research, but one that we hope could be used by the entire research community in Israel." "We are pleased to provide the Resolver and Elucidator systems for a pilot study to Ben-Gurion University, and to have our product be considered for a National Test Bed program,” said Yelena Shevelenko, vice president and general manager of Rosetta Biosoftware. "The integration capabilities built into our products will be valuable for enabling the cross-platform research that is being done at Ben-Gurion University. We are honored to support their systems biology research and provide the university with the robust data management and analysis capabilities for gene expression and comparative proteomics research.” Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Created in 1969 with the mandate to bring development to the region, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) is internationally recognized for its unique pioneering spirit that combines outstanding academics and research with a commitment to the community. With more than 17,000 students, five Faculties and a number of internationally acclaimed research institutes, the University has become a world leader in interdisciplinary research in cutting-edge fields that range from desert studies to nano- and biotechnology, Hebrew literature to international medicine. To learn more about Ben-Gurion University, visit www.bgu.ac.il. About the Rosetta Resolver System The Rosetta Resolver system is a high-capacity data storage, retrieval, and analysis solution for gene expression data. The system is ideal for life science research organizations that need to assess compound specificity or toxicity, identify new genes or therapeutic targets or compare and analyze large databases of expression profiles. The Rosetta Resolver system combines flexibility and ease of use with high-performance algorithms to produce a comprehensive solution for rapid analysis of gene expression data. The Rosetta Resolver system can accept and analyze data from a wide variety of expression profiling formats, and applies Rosetta Biosoftware’s proprietary error models to yield quality statistics for every gene expression measurement within the system. These statistics are automatically leveraged by Rosetta Resolver system analysis tools for optimal results. Life science research organizations that have licensed the Rosetta Resolver system include many of the top pharmaceutical companies in the world, such as Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co., Inc., and Sanofi-Aventis, as well as premier academic institutions such as the Harvard University Center for Genomics Research and the California Institute of Technology. Additional information about the Rosetta Resolver system can be found on the Rosetta Biosoftware Web site at www.rosettabio.com. About the Rosetta Elucidator System The Elucidator system's advanced data management capabilities allow users to effectively organize, search for, and retrieve raw and processed protein expression data. The application serves as a core integrator for proteomics research by working directly with select instrument APIs, sample annotation systems, and common protein ID search engines. In addition, it provides a suite of advanced statistical analysis and visualization tools for data mining and discovery of potential protein biomarkers and proteins that are differentially expressed among different phenotypes or drug treatments. The Elucidator system combines these data management and analysis capabilities with the flexibility of a highly customizable environment: users can incorporate organization-specific workflows into customized visual scripts that leverage Elucidator system statistical tools and customer-proprietary algorithms, as well as those available in the public domain. The Rosetta Elucidator product line is designed to meet the needs of both large and small organizations. Additional information about the Rosetta Elucidator system can be found on the Rosetta Biosoftware Web site at www.rosettabio.com. About Rosetta Biosoftware Rosetta Biosoftware is a leading provider of informatics solutions for life science research. Its comprehensive software solutions, including the Rosetta Resolver and Rosetta Elucidator systems, empower life scientists with advanced, scalable, and easy-to-use analysis platforms that accelerate discovery research. Rosetta Biosoftware is a business unit of Rosetta Inpharmatics LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK). More information about Rosetta Biosoftware is available at www.rosettabio.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. The forward-looking statements may include statements regarding product development, product potential, or financial performance. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and actual results may differ materially from those projected. Neither Rosetta Inpharmatics nor Merck & Co., Inc. undertakes any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Forward-looking statements in this press release should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the business of Merck & Co., Inc. including, among others, the extent to which Rosetta Inpharmatics' technology platform can be used in drug discovery programs, uncertainty of market acceptance of Rosetta Inpharmatics' technologies, ability to compete against existing technologies, and those mentioned in the cautionary statements in Item 1 of Merck’s Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2005, and in its periodic reports on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K (if any) which are incorporated by reference. Rosetta Resolver and Elucidator are U.S. registered trademarks of Rosetta Inpharmatics LLC.