SPSS Predictive Analytics Accelerating Cancer Research at Children's

    Business Editors

    CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 7, 2005--Children's Memorial Research Center, a leading U.S. pediatric hospital and research institute, is leveraging SPSS predictive analytics to differentiate pediatric brain tumor types. By analyzing both patient data and medical research literature with SPSS Inc. (NASDAQ:SPSS) technologies, Children's Memorial Research Center has gained unique insights into tumor classification and treatment strategies.
    Last month, Dr. Eric Bremer, director of the Brain Tumor Research Program at Children's Memorial Research Center (the research arm of Children's Memorial Hospital), presented the results of his SPSS-based research at United Devices' 2005 Life Sciences Grid Conference in Zurich, Switzerland.
    Dr. Bremer uses SPSS data mining technology, Clementine(R), to analyze and classify pediatric brain tumor types. Additionally, he employs SPSS text mining software, LexiQuest Mine(TM), to discover previously overlooked relationships contained in volumes of biomedical literature.
    Dr. Bremer required a methodology for conducting faster analysis of research literature spanning a five-year period. He selected United Devices, a leading provider of enterprise grid solutions, to grid-enable LexiQuest Mine on the company's Grid MP(TM) solution. This also supports Dr. Bremer's long-term goal of conducting continuous, comprehensive textual analysis on a larger number of medical journals.
    Dr. Bremer cited an example from a pilot project where he was able to process 124,000 medical abstracts in exactly one hour and 18 minutes. He contrasted this grid-enabled analysis with the average time it would take him to conduct identical analysis on a stand-alone computer, between 20 and 24 hours.
    "The automated extraction of information from biomedical literature promises to play an increasingly important role in text-based knowledge discovery processes," reported Dr. Bremer. "Leveraging SPSS predictive analytics and United Devices' expertise in grid computing, we've developed an integrated technology system that can efficiently extract and organize gene relationships from full text articles. We can also correlate this insight with both past and ongoing research on effective pediatric cancer treatments."
    "We're very excited to provide our life sciences' customers with such a powerful solution enabling innovative analysis of clinical data," said SPSS President and CEO Jack Noonan. "As Children's Memorial Research Center has learned, SPSS predictive analytics software is a valuable resource for enhancing critical processes that not only reduce research costs, but also hasten the development of new treatments that can fight terrible diseases."

    About Children's Memorial Research Center / Children's Memorial Hospital

    Children's Memorial Research Center is the research arm of Children's Memorial Hospital, and the center for pediatric research at Northwestern University. Children's Memorial Hospital is the primary pediatric teaching hospital for Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. Children's Memorial Hospital is one of the top pediatric hospitals in the United States according to U.S. News and World Report, and provides care at its main campus and at 13 locations throughout metropolitan Chicago.

    About SPSS

    SPSS Inc. (NASDAQ:SPSS) is a leading worldwide provider of predictive analytics software and solutions. The company's predictive analytics technology connects data to effective strategic action by drawing reliable conclusions about current conditions and critical future events. More than 250,000 commercial, academic, and public sector customers rely on SPSS technology to help increase revenue, reduce costs, improve important processes, and detect and prevent fraud. More than 95 percent of the Fortune 1000 companies are SPSS customers. Founded in 1968, SPSS is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. For additional information, please visit www.spss.com.

    About United Devices

    United Devices is the market leader in enterprise grid solutions. The company's Grid MP software platform is used to aggregate compute resources (from workstations and laptops to servers and clusters) on a network to create an enterprise grid capable of running a wide range of applications. United Devices also operates the world's largest Grid for grand-scale research that consists of over three million desktop, portable and server systems in more than 220 countries and territories.

    Safe Harbor Statement

    This press release contains forward-looking information made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward looking statements can be identified by phrases such as "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "plans," "intends," "could," "designed," "should be" and other similar expressions which denote expectations of future events rather than statements of fact. These forward-looking statements involve factors that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties, which may not be currently ascertainable and many of which are beyond the Company's control, may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different than the results, performance or achievements expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Copies of these filings are available either on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or from the Company's investor relations department. In light of these risks and uncertainties, the inclusion of forward-looking statements in this press release should not be regarded as a representation by the Company that any future results, performance or achievements will be attained. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.

--30--YM/cg*

CONTACT: SPSS Inc. Marc Brailov or Brian Schwartz, 800-525-4980 bschwartz@spss.com

KEYWORD: ILLINOIS INDUSTRY KEYWORD: MEDICAL PHARMACEUTICAL CONSUMER/HOUSEHOLD SOFTWARE NETWORKING PRODUCT MARKETING AGREEMENTS SOURCE: SPSS Inc.

Copyright Business Wire 2005