STRUCTURAL BIOINFORMATICS INC. ELECTS
DR. MYRA NICOL WILLIAMS TO SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD

Business Editors and Health Writers

SAN DIEGO, CA - January 16, 1997 (Business Wire) - Structural Bioinformatics Inc. (SBI), San Diego, developer of leading edge supercomputer-based technology for rapid conversion of novel gene sequence information into protein structural information and drug lead compounds, announced that Dr. Myra Nicol Williams has joined its Scientific Advisory Board of leading bioinformatics, protein structure, and internationally recognized pharmaceutical industry experts.

Dr. Williams recently retired from Glaxo Wellcome Plc where she was Vice President of Worldwide R&D Information Resources. Prior to the merger with Wellcome, Dr. Williams was Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Glaxo, Inc. She also worked in an executive capacity at Merck & Co., Inc. for over twenty years. Dr. Williams holds a Ph.D. in molecular biophysics from Yale University.

"With her background in bioinformatics and related information technologies, and molecular biophysics, Dr. Williams will make important contributions to Structural Bioinformatics as we continue to expand our 4-D protein structural database and rapid non-peptide drug lead molecule generation technologies," said Edward T. Maggio, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SBI. "Dr. Williams pioneered and led the development of Glaxo Wellcome's renowned global information systems and played a major role in the management of Glaxo Wellcome's R&D strategy. Dr. Williams perspective on the role and importance of information technologies in the pharmaceutical industry will be invaluable in helping SBI address the rapidly changing paradigm in drug discovery spawned by the flood of genomics data emerging from the Human Genome Project and related high speed sequencing efforts."

Structural Bioinformatics has developed a supercomputational operating system making possible the immediate and practical use of genomic (gene sequence) data in a broad range of structure-based drug discovery and design processes leading to the rapid design and identification of small molecule lead compounds. SBI is building corporate partnerships with pharmaceutical companies, gene discovery companies, and combinatorial chemistry companies ranging from broad technology collaborations to assistance with specific drug targets or target groups.