COPAN Announces the Launch of WASPLab(TM)

MURRIETA, California, April 28, 2011 - COPAN is proud to announce the worldwide launch of WASPLab(TM) , a
barcode driven and conveyor-connected specimen processing system, which
utilizes robotic plate management to automate specimen workflow in
Microbiology. The unveiling of the system will be in Milan, during the 21st
ECCMID General Meeting from May 7 to May 10, 2011, and in New Orleans,
Louisiana, during the ASM's 111th General Meeting from May 21 to May 24,
2011.

WASPLab(TM) can manage various aspects of specimen processing and workup
including planting and streaking, Gram slide preparation, enrichment broth
inoculation, robotic incubation and storage, plate image analysis, AST/ID
inoculum preparation, Kirby-Bauer disk application, and even MALDI-TOF Target
Plate Seeding.

"We have developed WASPLab(TM) with the future of Microbiology in mind
and an ongoing commitment to provide a solution for an automated single-piece
flow system for specimen processing," says Norman Sharples, COPAN
Diagnostics' Executive VP. At a time of diminishing resources where
laboratories are pressured to grow business within current space, labor and
expense constraints, WASPLab(TM) represents a clear solution to automate the
tedious tasks of specimen processing and subsequent workup and frees scarce
laboratory personnel to perform tasks that require their interpretative
skills.

About COPAN Group

With a reputation for innovation in preanalytics, COPAN is the leading
manufacturer of collection and transport systems in the world. COPAN offers a
complete line of automation and a range of microbial sampling products used
for traditional culture analysis and molecular diagnostic assays. For more
information, visit www.copanusa.com

Gabriela Powers, Global Marketing Manager of COPAN, 1-800-216-4016, Gabriela.powers at copanusa.net