Geneart AG (FRA:G6A) GENEART Receives European Patent For Selective Evolution Of Proteins

Geneart AG (FRA:G6A) - European Patent Office grants patent titled "Verfahren für die kontinuierliche, zielgerichtete Evolution von Proteinen in vitro" ("Method for carrying out the selective evolution of proteins in vitro") - A similar patent application for North America is pending - The patent protects GENEART technology for the selected identification of improved protein variants, i.e. for the development of innovative drugs

Regensburg, January 20, 2009 - GENEART AG, global leader in gene synthesis and specialist in the field of Synthetic Biology, informs about patent EP 1913140 titled "Verfahren für die kontinuierliche, zielgerichtete Evolution von Proteinen in vitro" ("Method for carrying out the selective evolution of proteins in vitro") being granted by the European Patent Office. The patent protects a procedure for the selective identification of improved protein variants (so-called "evolution") in Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Sweden and Germany. The German patent of this family of patents had been granted as early as 2007. An application for a comparable protection for North America has been filed under the international patent process.

The patent constitutes the basis for a proprietary technology platform, which allows to significantly improve the efficiency and activity of protein-based therapeutics, vaccines and industrial enzymes. The new technology relies on a continuous one-step process where the generation and screening of protein variants run virtually simultaneously. The procedure allows identifying optimal variants of a protein from a considerably larger pool much quicker than with conventional multi-stage processes. Therefore, this procedure increases the probability of identifying the ideal protein variant, for example a strong-binding antibody for cancer therapy.

"We have reached another milestone for the extension of our proprietary technology portfolio in the field of Gene Evolution by being granted the European patent. It is our stated goal to not only offer our customers gene variants and gene libraries for screening experiments but, with the successful completion of this project, to also deliver the improved protein over the mid-term", explained Prof. Dr. Ralf Wagner, CEO of GENEART AG.

For further inquiries, please contact:

Bernd Merkl GENEART AG Josef-Engert-Str. 11 93053 Regensburg Germany Phone: +49-(0)941-942 76-638 Fax: +49-(0)941-942 76-711 ir@geneart.com www.geneart.com

Frank Ostermair Better Orange IR & HV AG Haidelweg 48 81241 Munich Germany Phone: +49-(0)89-8896906-10 Fax: +49-(0)89-8896906-66 info@better-orange.de www.better-orange.de

Legal Information This document may contain estimates, prognoses and opinions about company plans and objectives, products or services, future results, opinions about these results or opinions leading up to these results. All these projections into the future are subject to risk, uncertainty and unforeseeable change outside the control of the GENEART Group. Many factors may lead to actual results, which considerably deviate from the given projections for these results.

About GENEART AG: In 2000, GENEART entered the gene synthesis market and has since become the global market leader. Today, the company is one of the leading specialists in the Synthetic Biology field. Experts at GENEART provide key technologies for the development and production of new therapeutics and vaccines. Customers also take advantage of GENEART services to customize enzyme attributes, such as the attributes of enzymes used as detergent additives, and to construct bacteria, which produce complex biopolymers or break down polymers, such as synthetics, petroleum components, etc. Our production and service spectrum spans a wide range, from the production of synthetic genes according to DIN EN ISO 9001:2000, to the creation of gene libraries in the combinatorial biology, to the development and production of DNA-based biologically active substances. GENEART AG in Regensburg (Germany) and the subsidiaries GENEART Inc. in Toronto (Canada) and GENEART Inc. in San Francisco (USA) employ more than 190 people. GENEART is listed on the German Stock Exchange.

This announcement was originally distributed by Hugin. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



LINK: http://hugin.info/136633/R/1283192/287280.pdf

Geneart AG

http://www.geneart.com

ISIN: DE000A0JJ4L4

Stock Identifier: XFRA.G6A