Ciphergen Biosystems Inc has expanded its collaboration with Pfizer Inc to include studies designed to discover protein biomarkers from human serum that provide early detection of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) versus healthy individuals. These studies will be conducted at Ciphergen's Biomarker Discovery Center in Copenhagen on behalf of the Experimental Medicine Group at Pfizer France. Financial and other terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

"We're delighted that Pfizer has charged us with applying our ProteinChip Systems and Biomarker Discovery Center scientists to discover protein biomarkers for the difficult to stage medical condition of COPD. We believe this further demonstrates interest in our technology as an enabling tool for protein-based predictive medicine," commented William E. Rich, President and CEO of Ciphergen.

In October 2001, Ciphergen announced that it had entered into a collaboration with Pfizer designed to discover proteins in serum in pre-clinical models as well as to evaluate the relative importance and utility of such proteins as biomarkers associated with drug safety. Aspects of this work, initially focusing on the important issue of vasculitis toxicity, were presented by Pfizer scientists on September 19, 2002 at the European College of Veterinary Medicine meeting in Munich, Germany.