News Release – For Immediate Release

Paper Finds Microdroplet PCR Enrichment Is Ideal Targeted Sequencing Solution

For Large-Scale Population Studies

LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A. — November 2, 2009 — Data generated using

microdroplet PCR technology as an enrichment method is particularly well suited for
performing sequence-based association studies, according to a paper published today by
researchers at the Scripps Translational Science Institute, the University of California, San
Diego School of Medicine, and RainDance Technologies, Inc.

The study, led by Kelly A. Frazer, Ph.D., Professor of Pediatrics and Chief, Division of
Genome Information Sciences, UC San Diego Department of Pediatrics, evaluated
microdroplet PCR’s advantages in performing sequence enrichment for targeted sequencing
over the gold-standard traditional PCR approach. “These benefits translated into a much
higher efficiency of sequencing and a much more cost-effective way to do population
studies,” Frazer said, in commenting about the paper.

Entitled “Microdroplet-based PCR Enrichment for Large-Scale Targeted Sequencing,” the

paper was published today on Nature Biotechnology’s Web site at Microdroplet-based PCR
enrichment for large-scale targeted sequencing : Abstract : Nature Biotechnology
(www.nature.com/nbt/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nbt.1583.html) and will appear in the
November issue of the magazine.

“I believe this new technology will be used to study the basic underpinnings of diseases and
to understand their root causes,” said Eric J. Topol, M.D., Director of the Scripps
Translational Science Institute and a co-author. “For instance, we’re now using it to
understand the causes of anorexia nervosa. We also can use the technology to comprehend
a disease’s response to a therapy or to determine a drug’s side effects. We even can employ
it to study the healthy aging process. These are all applications for microdroplet PCR that
will help us understand the vital aspects of human health and disease,” said Dr. Topol, in
commenting on the paper.

The paper said that to efficiently perform population-based sequencing studies using next-
generation sequencing platforms, it is important to be able to simultaneously examine large
numbers of targeted sequences. “These results indicate that even when simultaneously
amplifying 3,976 targeted sequences, microdroplet PCR generates a high ratio of target
sequence to background sequence,” the authors said. The study concluded that data quality
is independent of the number of amplicons. A path to scale to 20,000 amplicons while
maintaining high performance was also demonstrated.

The paper’s authors said the microdroplet PCR process proved to be extremely efficient,
with more than 99.6% of all amplicons being successful and with highly reproducible
amplification of targeted sequences between samples. The data also showed that
equivalently accurate SNP calling can be performed using microdroplet PCR whether the
DNA is unamplified or whole-genome amplified from nanogram quantities. The allelic bias
error rate of approximately 0.1% resulted in few known variants to be incorrectly called,
further attesting to the robustness of the process.

“We were impressed with how well the technology worked,” said Dr. Frazer. “Compared to
other types of sequence enrichment, we were able to generate greater uniform coverage of
targeted sequences. In addition, the problems we typically encounter with standard PCR,
such as difficult primer design and high allelic bias, were not observed with the
microdroplet-based PCR workflow.”

“Efficient targeted sequencing will be critical as researchers study genetic variation in large
populations to determine the causes of cancer and other complex diseases,” said
Christopher McNary, President and Chief Executive Officer, RainDance Technologies. “This
study confirms that our innovative RDT 1000 microdroplet-based platform is able to detect
substantially higher numbers of variants in the targeted sequences than either solution-
based hybridization or molecular inversion probes. This platform provides scientists with an
exciting and highly effective new technology that accelerates research into the causes of
these devastating diseases,” said McNary.

To view the paper, visit Microdroplet-based PCR enrichment for large-scale targeted
sequencing : Abstract : Nature Biotechnology
(www.nature.com/nbt/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nbt.1583.html) or see the November
2009 issue of Nature Biotechnology: “Microdroplet-based PCR Enrichment for Large-Scale
Targeted Sequencing.” Authors: Ryan Tewhey1,2, Jason Warner3, Masakazu Nakano1,4, Brian
Libby3, Martina Medkova3, Patricia David3, Steve Kotsopoulos3, Michael Samuels3, J. Brian
Hutchinson3, Jonathan W. Larson3, Eric J. Topol1, Michael P. Weiner3, Olivier Harismendy1,4,
Jeff Olson3, Darren R. Link3, and Kelly A. Frazer1,4. DOI:10.1038/nbt.1583.

About RainDance Technologies, Inc.

RainDance Technologies, Inc., is a provider of innovative microdroplet-based solutions for
single-cell analyses that will accelerate human health and disease research. The speed and
simplicity of the company’s exciting new technology platform enable researchers to design
experiments in ways that were previously unaffordable or unimaginable. The company’s
RainStormTM technology produces picoliter-volume droplets at a rate of 10 million per hour.
Each droplet is the functional equivalent of an individual test tube and can contain a single
molecule, reaction, or cell. This versatile technology can adapt proven assays for high-speed
workflows with minimized process-induced bias or error.

RainDance’s initial application focuses on the targeted sequencing of the human genome —
one of the fastest-growing segments of the $1 billion DNA sequencing market. This
application enables the high-resolution analysis of genetic variation between individuals and
populations at a level unmatched by current methodology.

For more information, please visit www.raindancetech.com.

RainStorm is a trademark of RainDance Technologies, Inc.

Contact RainDance Technologies

• Press inquiries: Don Goncalves, 781-793-9380, dgoncalves@tizinc.com
• Corporate questions: Steve Becker, 781-861-6300, beckers@raindancetech.com
• Technical questions: Jim Brayer, 781-861-6300, brayerj@raindancetech.com
• In Europe: Patrick Kelly, +44-786-3200-242, kellyp@raindancetech.com

1
Scripps Genomic Medicine, Scripps Translational Science Institute, The Scripps Research Institute, La
Jolla, California, U.S.A. 2Division of Biological Sciences, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla,
California, U.S.A. 3RainDance Technologies, Lexington, Massachusetts, U.S.A. 4Present address:
Moores UCSD Cancer Center, La Jolla, California, U.S.A.