Zurich, Switzerland, 5 November 2004 – Tecan, a leading player in the health care supply industry, and Dynal Biotech, a world leader in biomagnetic separation, announced a non-exclusive licensing agreement to co-develop, promote and market optimized robotic applications based on Dynal Biotech research kits (Dynabeads^®) for use on Tecan’s new Freedom EVO automated platform. The collaboration will combine Dynal Biotech products with Tecan’s Freedom EVO automated platforms. In a wide range of settings, the research kits will be used for molecular biology applications involving the separation, isolation and manipulation of biological material (DNA, RNA and proteins). These include cornerstone applications such as nucleic acid extraction and sample preparation, PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)- and sequencing reaction clean-up procedures, as well as the isolation of recombinant proteins. Further opportunities for the development of other automated solutions, including those for forthcoming products, will also be considered. Financial details were not disclosed.

Jan Timmers, Executive Vice President Global Marketing at Tecan, commented: “Our collaboration with Dynal Biotech opens up exciting business opportunities for both companies. Going back many years, Dynal Biotech has a proven track record in the development of pioneering magnetic separation technologies for the life sciences. In partnership with Dynal Biotech, we will develop a series of automated solutions allowing key molecular biology applications to be performed on Tecan’s Freedom EVO platform.” He continued: “By combining magnetic-bead-based application kits with our flexible automated platform, we are convinced that we can significantly impact a wide range of application areas in the genomics market.”

Kari E. Krogstad, Vice President Molecular Systems at Dynal Biotech, commented: “Dynal Biotech is very pleased to be working with Tecan on this project. We see strong synergies between our biomagnetic separation technologies and Tecan’s flexible platforms for fast and reliable automation.”  She added: “This partnership is set to deliver considerable benefits to many researchers interested in optimizing the performance of key molecular biological applications.”

Dynal Biotech has been an innovator in biomagnetic separation technology since 1986. The company provides a wide range of magnetic-bead research kits designed for specific applications in academic and industrial research as well as clinical research and diagnostics. Tecan is a leading provider of powerful modular platforms for liquid handling and robotics. The Freedom EVO series of automated platforms offers state-of-the-art liquid handling capabilities as well as compliance with the very latest regulatory requirements.

About Dynal Biotech

Dynal Biotech is the world leader in biomagnetic separation techniques for isolation and manipulation of biological material, including cells, nucleic acids, proteins and pathogenic micro-organisms. The company has its head offices in Oslo, Norway, and has R&D and manufacturing facilities in Norway, U.K., China and US Dynal Biotech also has sales subsidiaries in the Germany, France, Australia and Japan.

For more information, please contact :

Tecan Group Ltd.

Cornelia Kegele
Manager Marketing Communications and Branding
Tel.: +41 (0)44 922 81 11
Fax: +41 (0)44 922 82 81
e-mail:cornelia.kegele@tecan.com
Internet:www.tecan.com

Dynal Biotech ASA

Marianne Sanderud
Manager Marketing Communication
Tel. : +47 22 06 10 00
Fax. : +47 22 50 70 15
e-mail : marianne.sanderud@dynalbiotech.com
Internet : www.dynalbiotech.com