18th February 2004 Manchester (UK) and Stockholm (Sweden): DxS Ltd, a genotyping services and personalised medicine company, and Sangtec Molecular Diagnostics AB, a company specialized in developing and marketing standardised clinical molecular diagnostic tests, today announced they have signed a licence agreement for DxS' Scorpions[TM] technology. Under the terms of the agreement Sangtec Molecular Diagnostics (SMD) will gain access to Scorpions for the development of human in vitro diagnostic kits in clinical diagnostics. Sweden-based SMD is a fully owned subsidiary of Germany-based Altana Pharma AG, the pharmaceutical group of Altana AG. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Scorpions is a proprietary fluorescence-based nucleic acid detection and genotyping system developed by DxS' founders. The technology provides an accurate, rapid and reliable signal generation system with applications in genotyping, infectious disease testing and RNA expression profiling. 

Commenting on the agreement, Dr Eva Pisa, Chief Executive Officer of SMD,
said: "DxS' Scorpions technology offers reliable and highly sensitive DNA detection, key attributes that will support the development of our PCR-based tests as we look to extend the range of products within our core markets of oncology and infectious disease. This is in line with our focus to develop and produce precise nucleic acid-based tests for the benefit of patients through improved diagnosis and tailoring of treatment regimes."

Dr Steve Little, Chief Executive Officer of DxS, added: "We are delighted that SMD has chosen to use Scorpions for the expansion of its diagnostics portfolio. SMD has extensive experience in the development and production of PCR-based diagnostics. The company has a reputation for quality and safety, and a strong market position within Europe. We are excited that Scorpions is rapidly establishing itself as a valued technology among diagnostics providers. This is in addition to the confidence placed in Scorpions by our partners who access the technology via our clinical genotyping service."

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About DxS Ltd 
DxS is an established genotyping services company providing pharmaceutical, biotechnology and clinical research companies with rapid and reliable pharmacogenetic analysis to support drug discovery, clinical development and personalised medicine. DxS operates from purpose built laboratories equipped with fully automated sample handling and genotyping systems in Manchester, UK. The Company has implemented industry-leading laboratory management systems and quality control practices.

The DxS service is based on proprietary Scorpions[TM] technology that allows rapid and reliable PCR-based genotyping, and on SAFEspot[TM], a card-based sample collection system that greatly simplifies the storage and transport of blood spots.

Scorpions[TM] technology is also licensed to oligonucleotide suppliers and diagnostic companies, including Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics. 

For more information on DxS please see www.dxsgenotyping.com  

About Sangtec Molecular Diagnostics AB

Sangtec Molecular Diagnostics (SMD) is an innovative company specialized in developing, producing and marketing human clinical molecular diagnostic assays. The company was founded in 2001, but the research activities started in 1992, giving the company more than ten years of experience in its field. Today, SMD is one of the few companies with a world-wide PCR license for use in clinical diagnostics.

SMD has a strong portfolio of Intellectual Property, including proprietary technologies, such as minisequencing, as well as in-licensed technologies, such as PCR and real-time PCR chemistry. The company has strong focus on total quality management, with ISO certification and CE label on all products, which are sold under the affigene trademark. SMD has more than ten years of experience in PCR-based diagnostics development and production.

For more information on Sangtec MD please see www.sangtec.com  

For further information, please contact:

DxS Ltd 
Dr Steve Little, Chief Executive Officer
Tel: +44 (0) 161 606 7201 (switch) stephen.little@dxsgenotyping.com 

Sangtec Molecular Diagnostics AB
Dr Eva Pisa, Chief Executive Officer
Tel: +46 (0) 8 555 20 400 (switch) episa@sangtec.se 

De Facto Communications 
Maria Payne or Kevin Payne 
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7496 3300 (switch) 
k.payne@defacto.com   m.payne@defacto.com 

Informedia Communications 
Markus Fischer or Anne-Lie Öberg
Tel: +46 (0) 8 556 973 
markus.fischer@informedia.se  annelie.oberg@informedia.se