Amersham Biosciences Expands Capabilities in Affinity Chromatography; Agreements Signed With Dyax Corp. and Affibody AB.

Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers

BIOWIRE2K

PISCATAWAY, N.J.--(BW HealthWire)--March 6, 2002

Amersham Biosciences, the life sciences business of Amersham plc (LSE:, NYSE:, OSE: AHM) today announced that it has signed collaboration agreements with Dyax Corp. (Nasdaq: DYAX) and Affibody AB to develop novel affinity-based chromatographic media for large-scale protein separation and purification, a process used in the manufacture of biopharmaceuticals.

Financial details of the agreements were not disclosed.

Under the agreement with Dyax Corp. of Cambridge, Mass., Amersham Biosciences will receive non-exclusive rights to use Dyax's phage display affinity ligand discovery process for finding ligands for use in chromatography separations. Amersham Biosciences will use the technology for specific customer needs and to develop more broadly applicable products for the protein separations field.

Amersham Biosciences and Affibody AB of Stockholm, Sweden, will collaborate on the development of Affibodies(TM), a novel class of small, robust affinity proteins designed to bind to desired protein targets.

Affinity ligands are molecules with specific thermodynamic properties which bind selectively to biomolecular targets, such as proteins, like baiting and using a specific fish hook to catch a targeted fish. Chromatographic media based on affinity for a specific protein have greater selectivity and specificity, improving the efficiency with which chromatography captures the protein.

"We built our strong position in bioprocessing by being an early leader in the technology and it is important that we continue to innovate. Through these deals, Amersham Biosciences will develop and commercialize new media products with high affinity, selectivity and capacity," said Peter Ehrenheim, Vice President of Protein Separations for Amersham Biosciences.

Bioprocessing, the industrial-scale separation of proteins to manufacture biopharmaceuticals such as insulin and monoclonal antibodies, is carried out using a series of steps including filtration and chromatography techniques. The rapid growth in the bioprocess market is driven by increasing production of the approximately 100 approved biopharmaceutical drugs and by the prospects for more than 400 in clinical trials. Systems and media from Amersham Biosciences are used in the production of over 90 percent of all biopharmaceuticals on the market today.

Amersham Biosciences, the life sciences business of Amersham plc (LSE, NYSE, OSE: AHM), is a world leader in developing and providing integrated systems and solutions for disease research, drug development and manufacture. Its systems are used to uncover the function of genes and proteins, for the discovery and development of drugs and for the manufacture of biopharmaceuticals. The customers for Amersham Biosciences' products and technologies are pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and research and academic institutions, principally in North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. More information about Amersham Biosciences is available at www.amershambiosciences.com.

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