Fluidigm C1™ Single-Cell Auto Prep System Wins a 2012 GOOD DESIGN Award

The World's Most Prestigious Global Award for New Product Design and Graphics

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fluidigm Corporation (NASDAQ:FLDM) today announced its C₁™ Single-Cell Auto Prep System has been selected as a recipient of a 2012 GOOD DESIGN™ Award administered by the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

“We believe great technical capability and great design can, and should, go hand-in-hand. Our customers deserve it. We are simply elated to have such an esteemed organization select our C1 system as one of the best industrial designs of 2012.”

“We are honored to have our Fluidigm C₁ Single-Cell Auto Prep System selected as a winner of the prestigious GOOD DESIGN Award for 2012. We worked really hard to create an instrument that would democratize and enable single-cell genomics, with a design that reflects the high performance, quality, and advanced technology of the C₁ system,” said Gajus Worthington, Fluidigm President and Chief Executive Officer. “We believe great technical capability and great design can, and should, go hand-in-hand. Our customers deserve it. We are simply elated to have such an esteemed organization select our C₁ system as one of the best industrial designs of 2012.”

The GOOD DESIGN Award is considered one of the world's most prestigious global awards for new product design and graphics and is given for the most innovative and cutting-edge industrial, product, and graphic designs produced around the world. The judges emphasize quality design of the highest form, function, and aesthetic—a standard beyond ordinary products and graphics. In addition, one of the main factors for consideration of a GOOD DESIGN Award is whether the product can enrich society and people's lives through its design. The award covers new products designed and manufactured in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America. The award program began in 1950.

The award recognizes the Fluidigm C₁ Single-Cell Auto Prep System, its manufacturer, Fluidigm Corporation, and its designers: Raphael Hebert, Tem Kuechle, Kem Gallione, and Dave Diepersloot of IDE Inc.

"Occasionally a design team has the opportunity to 'break the mold' when a client wants its industrial design to be as revolutionary as its new technology. Our charter was to create a dramatic new industrial design that would convey to all who saw the Fluidigm C₁ Single-Cell Auto Prep System that something truly special was inside. The result is a dramatic new expression of advanced Bio-tech instrumentation," said David Moriconi, IDE President and Chief Executive Officer.

For 2012, the Museum received submissions from several thousand of the world's leading manufacturers and industrial and graphic design firms representing products from over 48 countries.

The C₁ Single-Cell Auto Prep System is not only a great design, but also enables critical life science research. Scientists using the C₁ system study cell differentiation, measure individual cell responses to specific stimuli, verify critical disease biomarkers, validate RNAi knockdown, and conduct candidate drug screens.

The C₁ Single-Cell Auto Prep System is the first commercially available platform for automated isolation and preparation of individual cells for genomic analysis. The C₁ system, based on Fluidigm’s innovative microfluidic technology, enables a researcher to isolate, process and summarize the unique gene expression profiles of individual cells rapidly and reliably. For the first time, a researcher can easily isolate single cells, extract RNA, then reverse transcribe and amplify mRNA transcripts to ultimately detect and analyze cell activity — dramatically reducing the variability and technical errors caused by multi-platform workflows that have been previously used. By delivering an integrated workflow, Fluidigm is enabling researchers to implement targeted gene expression, miRNA analysis and whole transcriptome analysis in a more efficient and cost-effective manner.

The C₁ Single-Cell Auto Prep System consists of:

• C₁ Single-Cell Auto Prep instrument that provides breakthrough bench-top automation of isolation, lysis and amplification performed on single cells.
• C₁ Single-Cell Auto Prep Array integrated fluidic circuits (IFCs) that facilitate capture and highly paralleled preparation of up to 96 individual cells.
• C₁ Single-Cell Auto Prep Reagent Kit, a pre-formulated “ready to use” reagent kit that supports cell suspension, lysis and purification.

For more information about the C₁ Single-Cell Auto Prep System, please visit www.fluidigm.com/c1system.

The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum Of Architecture and Design

The Chicago Athenaeum is an International Museum of Architecture and Design, appropriately based in the world's first city of modern architecture and design—Chicago.

Founded in 1988, the Museum is dedicated to the Art of Design in all areas of the discipline: architecture, industrial, and product design, graphics, and urban planning. The Museum's mission is the advancement of public education about the value of Good Design - from the "spoon to the city" - and how design can positively impact the human environment.

As the only independent Museum of architecture and design in the United States, The Chicago Athenaeum has demonstrated leadership and innovation in bringing the subject of design and its impact on the quality of life before a national and international audience. At the same time, the Museum has expanded its international programs by presenting significant exhibitions on architecture and design to cities throughout the United States, as well as Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

As an International Museum, The Chicago Athenaeum maintains offices and operations in Chicago, Schaumburg, Illinois, and Galena, Illinois, as well as Dublin, Ireland, Florence, Italy, Athens, Greece, and soon Hamburg/Berlin, Germany.

The Museum is supported by its public, memberships, and by grants and sponsorships from corporations, foundations, and local and national government agencies.

For more information about The Chicago Athenaeum: International Museum of Architecture and Design, please visit: www.chi-athenaeum.org.

About IDE Inc.

IDE Inc. is an award winning product design and development firm based in Scotts Valley, CA. IDE provides multi-disciplinary product design services to technology-based companies throughout the world. IDE’s clients include many of the world’s most successful and innovative companies. Visit IDE’s web site at www.ideinc.com.

Use of Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to Fluidigm’s new C₁ system, and Fluidigm’s plans, objectives, expectations and strategies relating to the C₁ system. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from currently anticipated results, including challenges inherent in developing, manufacturing, and launching new products and risks relating to research and development activities and the growth of new and developing markets. Information on these and additional risks affecting Fluidigm’s business and operating results are contained in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2012. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and Fluidigm disclaims any obligation to update these statements.

About Fluidigm

Fluidigm (NASDAQ:FLDM) develops, manufactures and markets microfluidic systems for growth markets in the life science and agricultural biotechnology, or Ag-Bio, industries. Fluidigm’s proprietary microfluidic systems consist of instruments and consumables, including integrated fluidic circuits (IFCs), assays and other reagents. These systems are designed to significantly simplify experimental workflow, increase throughput and reduce costs, while providing the excellent data quality demanded by customers. Fluidigm actively markets four microfluidic systems, including thirteen different IFCs, to leading academic institutions, diagnostic laboratories, and pharmaceutical, biotechnology and Ag-Bio companies. Fluidigm products are marketed for research purposes only (not for diagnostic use).

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

Fluidigm, the Fluidigm logo, and C₁ are trademarks or registered trademarks of Fluidigm Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.