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


Copyright © Hugin AS 2009. All rights reserved.