Alnylam Grants Integrated DNA Technologies License to Kreutzer-Limmer Patents for the RNA Interference Research Products Market; Leading Provider of Custom Nucleic Acids Gains Access to First Issued RNAi Research Patents.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & CORALVILLE, Iowa -- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALNY), a leading RNAi therapeutics company, and Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc. (IDT), the largest supplier of custom nucleic acids in the U.S., announced today that Alnylam has granted IDT a non-exclusive license to provide RNAi research products and services under the Kreutzer-Limmer patent family. This patent family, owned exclusively by Alnylam, covers small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and their use to mediate RNAi in mammalian cells.

"This agreement with IDT, one of the leading suppliers in the U.S. of DNA and RNA oligonucleotides for research applications, continues to underscore the value of the Kreutzer-Limmer patent family as a critical component of fundamental IP in the field of RNAi," said Roland Kreutzer, Ph.D., Managing Director of Alnylam Europe AG. "Alnylam continues to leverage its leading intellectual property estate through relationships that we expect will create value today, and in the future. This brings the number of license agreements Alnylam has executed granting rights to 20, including 11 with research product suppliers."

"We are pleased to be able to strengthen our Dicer-Substrate RNAi product offerings to our customers," said Roman Terrill, General Counsel of IDT. "Taking a license to the Kreutzer-Limmer patent family reinforces our ability to supply custom RNAi duplexes and our proprietary Trifecta(TM) kits in the areas of academic research, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical development."

Alnylam's IP estate includes certain 'fundamental' patents and patent applications that claim the broad structural and functional properties of synthetic RNAi products. These include the Kreutzer-Limmer I and II patents, acquired through the Ribopharma merger: EP Patent No. 1144623, covering methods, medicaments and uses of siRNAs with up to 25 nucleotides complementary to a target gene; EP Patent No. 1214945, covering compositions, methods, and uses of siRNAs with a length between 15 and 49 nucleotides; and EP Patent No. 1352061, covering therapeutic compositions, methods, and uses of siRNA and derivatives directed toward over 125 disease targets. Additional fundamental patents licensed to Alnylam on an exclusive or non-exclusive basis include those of Crooke (U.S. Patent Nos. 5,898,031 and 6,107,094), Fire and Mello (U.S. Patent No. 6,506,559), Glover et al. (EP Patent No. 1230375), and the Tuschl II series (derived from WO 02/044321 and including recently allowed claims US 10/832,248 and US 10/832,432, with further patent applications pending). In addition, Alnylam has licenses to other 'fundamental' patents pending, including Tuschl I (derived from WO 01/075164).

About RNA Interference (RNAi)

RNA interference, or RNAi, is a naturally occurring mechanism within cells for selectively silencing and regulating specific genes. Since many diseases are caused by the inappropriate activity of specific genes, the ability to silence genes selectively through RNAi could provide a new way to treat a wide range of human diseases. RNAi is induced by small, double-stranded RNA molecules. One method to activate RNAi is with chemically synthesized small interfering RNAs, or siRNAs, which are double-stranded RNAs that are targeted to a specific disease-associated gene. The siRNA molecules are used by the natural RNAi machinery in cells to cause highly targeted gene silencing.

About Alnylam

Alnylam is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics based on RNA interference, or RNAi. The company is applying its therapeutic expertise in RNAi to address significant medical needs, many of which cannot effectively be addressed with small molecules or antibodies, the current major classes of drugs. Alnylam is building a pipeline of RNAi therapeutics; its lead program is in Phase I human clinical trials for the treatment of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, which is the leading cause of hospitalization in infants in the U.S. The company's leadership position in fundamental patents, technology, and know-how relating to RNAi has enabled it to form major alliances with leading companies including Merck, Medtronic, and Novartis. The company, founded in 2002, maintains global headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and has an additional operating unit in Kulmbach, Germany. Alnylam is honored to be the 'emerging/mid-cap' company recipient of the 2006 James D. Watson Helix Award, the biotechnology industry's award for outstanding achievement. For more information, please visit www.alnylam.com.

About IDT

Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc. (IDT) is the largest supplier of custom nucleic acids in the U.S., serving the areas of academic research, biotechnology, clinical diagnostics and pharmaceutical development. IDT's primary business is the manufacturing of custom DNA and RNA oligonucleotides (oligos) for research applications. Founded in 1987 by Joseph Walder, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Iowa), Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc. has achieved annual double-digit growth over the past 10 years. Today, IDT synthesizes and ships up to 25,000 custom oligos per day, and more than 60,000 customers worldwide turn to IDT to fulfill their synthetic DNA and RNA requirements.

Alnylam Forward-Looking Statements

Various statements in this release concerning our future expectations, plans and prospects, including our views with respect to the commercialization of RNAi products, constitute forward-looking statements for the purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including risks related to: our approach to discover and develop novel drugs, which is unproven and may never lead to marketable products; our ability to obtain additional funding to support our business activities; our dependence on third parties for development, manufacture, marketing, sales and distribution of our products; the successful development of products, all of which are in early stages of development; obtaining regulatory approval for products; competition from others using technology similar to ours and others developing products for similar uses; obtaining, maintaining, and protecting intellectual property utilized by our products; and our short operating history; as well as those risks more fully discussed in the "Certain Factors That May Affect Future Results" section of our most recent Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, any forward-looking statements represent our views only as of today and should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any subsequent date. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.