LGC and Gentris Corporation Announce Licensing Agreement

LGC, Europe's leading independent analytical laboratory, and Gentris Corporation, a leading global provider of applied clinical pharmacogenomic services and diagnostic product solutions, today announced that the companies have entered into a non-exclusive licensing agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Gentris obtains rights to make, use and sell diagnostic products and services which include testing for the CYP2D6*4 polymorphism in the US. LGC is the exclusive licensor of this gene variation on behalf of Dundee University and Cancer Research UK.

Patients with the *4 variant of the CYP2D6 gene are known to be poor metabolizers of about 20 percent of commonly prescribed medications including painkillers, anti-depressants, analgesics and cardiovascular drugs. The commercialization and adoption of CYP2D6 genetic testing services and diagnostic products will contribute to reducing adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in this population and improving the quality and efficacy of drugs and ultimately patient care. Currently ADRs account for 106,000 deaths per year and 2.2 million hospitalizations per year in the US, making them the fourth leading cause of death and fifth leading cause of illness.

"The value of testing for key genetic markers associated with poor metabolism of medications has now become internationally accepted as a way to prevent some adverse drug reactions in individuals, and to identify those at risk of side effects,” said Dr. Paul Debenham, Director of Life Sciences at LGC. “Today's advances in medical-based science and technology have generated DNA-based test technologies with the potential to shape the future care of us all. We have seen a marked growth in the demand for pharmacogenetic services and products and are pleased to see a leading international provider like Gentris actively apply this exciting technology to the field.”

The licensing agreement with LGC is a key milestone for Gentris that demonstrates the company’s commitment to building the industry’s most robust and relevant portfolio of genetic testing services and diagnostic products. “Gentris is dedicated to helping our clients integrate pharmacogenomic testing into their drug development programs to deliver safer, more effective compounds to the market sooner,” commented Gentris CEO Michael Murphy. This announcement coincides with the recent release of Gentris’ proprietary human genomic DNA reference controls for the CYP2D6 gene, which are currently available for research use. No other commercial source of reference controls for the CYP2D6 gene is presently on the market.

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Notes to Editors:

Reference
Debenham, P. & Dale Smith, C. A. 2004, "Personalised medicine - recognising the link between an individual's genetics and their response to drugs", European Biopharmaceutical Review, Winter issue, pp. 80-85.

About the licence
The CYP2D6 gene controls an enzyme in the liver and the variant of this gene, known as *4, indicates a poor metabolizer of about 20% of commonly prescribed drugs including painkillers and anti-depressants. LGC is the exclusive licensee of the University of Dundee, which has licensed the patents from Cancer Research Technology Limited granted in the USA, Europe, Canada, Australia and Japan directed at identifying the presence or absence of particular, important mutations in the CYP2D6 gene assay, thus allowing DNA-based testing. LGC provides these testing services in the UK.

About LGC
LGC (www.lgc.co.uk), a science service company, is Europe's leading independent provider of analytical and diagnostic services and reference standards. LGC's market-led divisions - LGC Forensics, Food Chain and Environment, Life Sciences, Pharmaceutical and Chemical Services and LGC Promochem (for Reference Materials) - operate in a diverse range of sectors for both public and private sector customers. Its research-led Analytical Technology and Government Chemist division houses specialist laboratories for the delivery of contracts under the DTI's National Measurement System and to serve its role as the UK's National Measurement Institute for chemical and biochemical analysis. Growing at around 15% per annum and majority-owned since April 2004 by funds managed by Legal & General Ventures, LGC is headquartered in Teddington, Middlesex, UK. LGC has laboratories located in Teddington, Runcorn (Cheshire), Culham (Oxfordshire), Risley (Cheshire), Tamworth (Staffordshire), Edinburgh (Scotland), Luckenwalde (Germany) and Bangalore (India). LGC also has offices in France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden and India. A specialist firearms facility in conjunction with the Royal Armouries in Leeds is also part of LGC Forensics. LGC has formed a joint venture in proficiency testing with Quality Management Limited and Aquacheck Limited. Since January 2006, LGC has made two acquisitions in Germany: AGOWA, a specialist genomics company based in Berlin, and the Institut für Blutgruppenforschung, a provider of DNA services in paternity testing and forensic genetics, based in Cologne.

About Gentris Corporation
Gentris Corporation is a leading global provider of applied clinical pharmacogenomic services and diagnostic product solutions. As pioneers in the field of pharmacogenomics, Gentris helps pharmaceutical companies and clinical research organizations effectively integrate pharmacogenomics into their drug development programs to deliver safer, more effective compounds to the market sooner. Gentris is developing validated reference controls and diagnostic test kits that will bring the promise of personalized medicine to physicians and patients, which will enhance patient management, improve patients' response to therapy and revolutionize medicine through pharmacogenomics. For additional information, please visit http://www.gentris.com.