The agreements grant Exiqon rights to over 200 published microRNAs  

Copenhagen, 27 July 2006. Exiqon A/S, a leading supplier of high-value gene expression analysis products, today announced that it has secured the rights to use over 200 human and viral microRNA sequences in diagnostic applications, through two separate co-exclusive license agreements with Garching Innovation, the technology transfer agency of the Max Planck Society, and The Rockefeller University. The new licenses enable Exiqon, which already has a leading position in microRNA research tools, to expand into the development of diagnostic products. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed. 

MicroRNAs play a central role in cancer biology. The published data shows that microRNA profiling of tumors can characterize and classify cancers very distinctly, and strongly supports the idea that microRNAs could successfully be used in the diagnosis and theranostics of cancer. 

Exiqon plans to build on its experience of creating high-affinity detection assays for small RNA targets like microRNAs using locked nucleic acids (LNA™s), which display unprecedented hybridization affinity towards complementary DNA and RNA. The diagnostic tools will measure the presence and abundance of individual or groups of microRNAs, providing information on key disease indicators, including a tumor’s progression state or its response or sensitivity to therapy.  

Lars Kongsbak, President and CEO of Exiqon, said: “Our LNA-based microRNA detection products are emerging as the preferred technology for detection platforms. Expanding our focus to probe the diagnostic potential of microRNAs is a key interest for the Company. These licensing agreements, which include a significant proportion of the microRNAs discovered by siRNA/microRNA pioneer, Professor Tom Tuschl, put Exiqon in the privileged position of being one of only four companies in the world with the right to use these microRNA sequences for diagnostic purposes.”  

Søren M. Echwald, VP, Business Development, said: “Securing these licensing agreements provides us with an excellent opportunity to move our LNA technology into diagnostics. By collaborating with a number of academic partners, Exiqon will further increase its efforts to expand its diagnostic development program.”   

-ENDS-

Notes for Editors

For further information please contact:

VP, Business Development 

+45 40 90 21 12

About Exiqon

Exiqon is a leading supplier of high-value gene expression analysis products for the life sciences, research and drug discovery industries. Exiqon’s rapidly growing product offerings integrate innovative chemistries with web-based software tools to help scientists achieve rapid and reliable results. Exiqon markets its products directly on www.exiqon.com or through distributors and partners its proprietary Locked Nucleic Acids (LNA™) and Anthraquinone (AQ-Link™) technologies through industry leaders. Exiqon is located in the Medicon Valley area of Copenhagen, Denmark. Please visit our web-site at www.exiqon.com. 

About theranostics

Theranostics can be defined as the use of diagnostic testing to select a specific or personalised treatment regimen and also to monitor the response of the individual patient to their treatment. Theranostic tests are poised to become a major player in the future worldwide in vitro diagnostic testing market. 

About microRNAs and LNA^TM

microRNAs (miRNAs) are a novel class of regulatory RNA molecules with surprisingly widespread effects on gene regulation. Although recently identified as a new class of molecules, initial studies indicate that miRNAs may regulate as much as one third of all genes in the genome. Thus miRNAs comprise an up-until-now hidden level of gene regulation.  

Interestingly, miRNAs have already been found to play important roles in several types of cancers and in processes involved in cellular differentiation. In the cell, miRNAs are found in form of single-stranded RNA molecules, which are typically 20-25 nucleotides long in their active form.  

LNAs (Locked nucleic acids) are a class of nucleotide analogue that binds very strongly to RNA and DNA targets. By including LNAs in detection probes, it is possible to design very specific high-affinity detection assays for small RNA targets like miRNAs, which otherwise is not possible using standard DNA-based detection probes. 

About Max Planck Society / Garching Innovation

Founded in 1948 as successor of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society, the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science is an independent, non-profit scientific research organization. Max Planck Society maintains almost 80 research institutes, the majority of which are in Germany. The research institutes focus on natural sciences, life sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. The Max Planck Society is particularly active in new and innovative research areas that are outside the scope of German universities. Max Planck Society has produced 16 Nobel laureates since its foundation. 

Garching Innovation GmbH, a 100% subsidiary of Max Planck Society, acts as its technology transfer agency. Garching Innovation is responsible for the commercialization of intellectual property created within the research institutes of Max Planck Society by granting licenses to the industry. For more information please visit http://www.mpg.de/ and http://www.garching-innovation.de.

About The Rockefeller University
The Rockefeller University is a world-renowned center for research and graduate education in the biomedical sciences, chemistry, and physics. Founded by John D. Rockefeller in 1901, the university has been the site of many important scientific breakthroughs. Rockefeller scientists established that DNA is the chemical basis of heredity, discovered blood groups, showed that viruses can cause cancer, founded the modern field of cell biology, and worked out the structure of antibodies. Twenty-three Nobel Prize winners have been associated with the university. For more information please visit: http://www.rockefeller.edu