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       Oceanix Biosciences: Research Agreement with Glaxo Wellcome


For Immediate Release:



OCEANIX BIOSCIENCES CORP. AND GLAXO WELLCOME INC.
ENTER INTO COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH AND DATABASE ACCESS AGREEMENT FOR THE
NOVASCREEN RECEPTOR SELECTIVITY MAPPING(TM) DATABASE


HANOVER, MD (February 8, 2000) -- Oceanix Biosciences Corporation
("Oceanix")  has announced today that it has entered into a collaborative
research and database access agreement with Glaxo Wellcome Inc. ("Glaxo
Wellcome"; NYSE:GLX; Research Triangle Park, NC).  Under terms of the
agreement, Oceanix allows Glaxo Wellcome access to the Receptor Selectivity
Mapping Database (RSMDB) being developed by NovaScreen, a unit of Oceanix.
 The RSMDB is a content database relating interactions between
information-rich chemical compounds and disease-related molecular targets
with known biological activities of the compounds.  The RSMDB is a powerful
new bioinformatics and chemoinformatics tool that promises to greatly
enhance the efficiency of drug discovery and development.

Two broad technological advancements are currently driving drug discovery
and development.  First, the automation of chemical synthesis, generally
referred to as combinatorial chemistry, has allowed drug companies to build
huge libraries of chemical compounds, numbering in the millions, to test
for potential pharmaceutical activity.  Second, progress in sequencing the
human genome is resulting in a tremendous increase in molecular targets
associated with disease processes against which the compound libraries can
be screened to find new drugs.  

"While these trends hold enormous promise for finding new and more
effective drugs, they also are creating critical bottlenecks in
pharmaceutical R&D, resulting in increased costs and information overload,"
commented David Manyak, President & CEO of Oceanix.  "NovaScreen's RSMDB is
designed to break through these bottlenecks by establishing a knowledge
base, data mining tools, and a resultant set of statistical correlations
that will permit an intelligent and directed, rather than random, approach
to discovery and development of new drugs."

"Molecular recognition databases such as the RSMDB, which promise to
facilitate the industry's efforts to capitalize on the genomics revolution
and to streamline the discovery screening process, represent the next major
advance in pharmaceutical R&D," added Thomas Rimele, Ph.D., Department Head
of Receptor Biochemistry for Glaxo Wellcome.   

The RSMDB is a knowledge base established by NovaScreen by (1) drawing on
the accumulated biological information locked up in our armamentarium of
drugs and failed drugs and (2) creating a high density matrix of the
molecular interactions between these drugs/drug-like chemicals and
molecular disease-related targets such as receptors and enzymes.  An
estimated 60 percent of all drugs work by interacting with receptors.  Many
side effects of drugs are also mediated by receptor interactions. 
NovaScreen has already developed nearly 200 receptor- and enzyme-based
screening assays for use in creating this high-density matrix.  The
information matrix is statistically analyzed using bioinformatics and other
proprietary mining tools to draw correlations and predictions.  The RSM
database has been established with an initial set of compounds and
molecular targets, but will continue to expand over time.  
"NovaScreen's objective is to build a matrix of at least 10,000 chemicals
screened against more than 250 molecular targets and assemble the largest
knowledge base of biological and molecular interactions in the drug
industry," noted Hao Chen, Ph.D., Vice President and Director of
Informatics, NovaScreen.  

Under the terms of the agreement, Oceanix will provide GlaxoWellcome with
non-exclusive access to the RSMDB for Glaxo Wellcome's internal use in drug
discovery and development.  In addition, GlaxoWellcome will provide
selected compounds to Oceanix to be screened against a broad range of
molecular targets included in the RSMDB.  Results of this screening program
will be shared between Oceanix and Glaxo Wellcome.  Each party will be able
to use both sets of data for refinement of data mining tools.  Joint
development of data mining tools may also be pursued under the research
collaboration.  Glaxo Wellcome will pay access fees and screening fees to
Oceanix.  Other terms of the agreement were not announced.   

Additional subscribers to the RSMDB are being sought by Oceanix.  The
Company will establish web-based portals to allow its RSMDB subscribers to
access the content database on a non-exclusive basis.  Potential
applications of the RSMDB include:
- deriving molecular recognition patterns for virtual screening, drug
  design, and/or lead compound selection; 
- establishing and validating relationships between in vitro toxicology and
  pharmacokinetic assays and in vivo tests to reduce the cost, time, and
  potentially the need for animal testing;
- selection of optimal compound library subsets to screen against specific
  molecular targets;
- identifying ligands and/or function of new gene products discovered from
  genomics or proteomics programs.  

Oceanix Biosciences Corp.  is integrating information technology and
biotechnology to provide solutions for improving the productivity of drug
discovery and development.   The Company's leading platform is the RSMDB, a
content database of biological and molecular interactions with broad
applications in drug discovery screening, lead compound selection and
optimization, and genomics.  Bioinformatic approaches to receptor
expression and distribution, natural product biosynthesis, and other areas
are being developed.  Oceanix is also pursuing applications of its
Combinatorial Genomics(TM) technology for accessing novel sources of
natural molecules for pharmaceutical and industrial applications.  More
information can be found at www.oceanix.com.  Oceanix's NovaScreen division
is a contract research organization that provides molecular-based drug
discovery and development screening services to more than 150 clients
worldwide, including most major drug companies.  NovaScreen pioneered the
concept of Profiling drug candidates, which has become an integral
component of the drug development process.  With a portfolio of more than
200 developed and validated assays, NovaScreen is a worldwide leader in
breadth of molecular target screening services for drug discovery and
development.  Further information is available at www.novascreen.com.

Glaxo Wellcome Inc., based in Research Triangle Park, NC, is one of the
nation's leading research-based pharmaceutical firms.  A subsidiary of
London-based Glaxo Wellcome plc, the company is committed to fighting
disease by bringing innovative medicines and services to patients and to
the healthcare providers who serve them.  More information about Glaxo
Wellcome is available at www.glaxowellcome.com or by dialing 1-888-TALK2GW. 



For further information, please contact:

David Manyak, Oceanix Biosciences
(410) 712-4411

Tom Fuldner, Glaxo Wellcome Inc.
(919) 483-2839

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