NEWS RELEASE

Contacts:
Lynn Banaszak, Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, (voice) 412-770-1353

PLSG INCUBATOR SIGNS AUSTRALIAN FIRM BTF AS NEWEST TENANT

October 3, 2005 - The Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse (PLSG), a partnership to put the region's life sciences industry on a fast track for growth, today announced that Australian firm BTF - Precise Microbiology is leasing office space in the PLSG Incubator. The new lease agreement marks BTF’s initial expansion outside of its Australian home market. 

The company provides precise reference standards for microbiological testing. BTF’s products are used to benchmark the performance of quality testing in public drinking water supplies, and in the food and pharmaceutical industries. The firm, which has been selling its products for six years in the U.S., has over 70 North American customers which currently comprise around 35% of its sales.

“The Pittsburgh region was attractive to BTF for a number of reasons,” said Marie Napoli, Business Development Manager of BTF. “We did a good amount of research and found that this region is one of the top employers in the life sciences fields, giving us access to a large talent pool as we grow and expand. The other attraction was that Pennsylvania provides several incentives for companies like ours to establish a U.S. base here.”
“We are pleased to welcome BTF to the U.S. and to Pittsburgh in particular,” said Doros Platika, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse. “It says something about this region when a firm from the other side of the globe examines California, New England and the Atlantic seaboard and then decides to begin its U.S. expansion right here in Pittsburgh. BTF adds tremendous quality of life to people around the world through precision quality testing technologies. We are looking forward to helping BTF prosper and grow here.”

BTF currently serves customers in over 40 countries from its headquarters in Sydney Australia, where its product development and manufacturing currently takes place.

About the PLSG Incubator
The PLSG Incubator is co-located with the PLSG administrative and support functions, which together occupy 15,000 square feet of space on the fourth floor of Bridgeside Point in Pittsburgh. Incubator facilities consist of 40 percent lab and 60 percent office space and houses 15 life sciences organizations, which also have convenient access to other services programs offered by the PLSG.

About the PLSG
The Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse is a public/private partnership, founded by the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, UPMC Health System, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and its regional foundation community. Together with private industry and advanced research and healthcare capabilities of our institutional partners, PLSG invests in and supports the growth of regional life sciences companies in the areas of: bioinformatics; bionanotechnology; diagnostics; medical devices; medical robotics; therapeutics; and tools and services.