PRESS RELEASE

Date: 20 October 2003

Subject: Amersham Biosciences and FLUOROtechnics in Australian biotech manufacturing and distribution deal. Manufacture of locally developed Deep PurpleTM Protein Stain to stay at home

Details:

Sydney, Australia – 20 October 2003 – Amersham Biosciences, the life sciences business of Amersham (LSE: NYSE: OSE: AHM) and local fluorescent technologies developer FLUOROtechnics Ltd have signed an exclusive worldwide supply and distribution agreement for a protein stain developed by FLUOROtechnics.

The deal between the two companies is significant because Australia’s FLUOROtechnics will continue to manufacture the Deep PurpleTM Protein Stain locally for world markets. Amersham Biosciences will distribute the product globally.

Established in July 2002, FLUOROtechnics is a spin-off from the Fluorescence Group at Macquarie University. It specialises in the discovery and development of fluorescent technologies for use in research, biotechnology and diagnostics.

“We are delighted that as an Australian company, we have developed a product that will be distributed worldwide through Amersham Biosciences,” said FLUOROtechnics CEO Professor Duncan Veal. “We are also really pleased that we have been able to keep the manufacturing at home. This means that we not only share in the benefits of this deal but are able to provide additional employment for local biotechnology specialists.”

FLUOROtechnics has grown from zero staff to 16 in just one year and expects further growth as new products are developed.

Said Minister for Science and Medical Research Frank Sartor: “We congratulate both FLUOROtechnics and Amersham Biosciences on this initiative, which has positive implications for the Australian biotechnology industry. The field of proteomics aims to speed up drug discovery by understanding proteins, which are produced by genes. It is products like Deep PurpleTM Protein Stain that bring us an important step closer to discovering and developing targeted therapies for the prevention or cure of diseases.”

Deep PurpleTM Protein Stain is a fluorescent stain that detects and visualises proteins in 1D and 2D gels. It enables scientists working in the proteomics field to detect and quantify proteins in gels more accurately and at greater quantities than ever before, while eliminating the problem of uneven levels of background fluorescence. It offers up to eight times more sensitivity in protein detection, making it the most sensitive in-gel fluorescent total protein stain. Deep PurpleTM Protein Stain is also the only environmentally friendly product of its kind, as competitive products are based on heavy metals, such as silver.

Said Amersham Biosciences Regional Vice-President Peter Leonard: “We are delighted to be involved in a venture like this with an Australian developer, which has further enhanced our proteomics portfolio. Deep PurpleTM Total Protein Stain offers outstanding accuracy and quality. Building on our comprehensive portfolio of proteomics products, it provides a complete labelling and detection solution for every step of protein analysis, from sample preparation to mass spectrometry, and is compatible with our TyphoonTM imager as well as other industry-standard fluorescent scanners.”

FLUOROtechnics’ Duncan Veal said the Australian Federal and NSW State governments were very supportive of local biotechnology research efforts, even at proof of concept and early experimental stages, and both had provided two grants each for the FLUOROtechnics research. Macquarie University had also shown its support for innovation and was a forerunner in helping local biotechnology research and development staff get commercially viable projects off the ground.

About FLUOROtechnics Ltd

A spin-off company from the Fluorescence Group at Macquarie University, FLUOROtechnics develops, manufactures and commercialises novel fluorescent compounds for use in diagnostics and biotechnology. Its mission is to become a world leader in the development of fluorescent labelling technology. It was established in July 2002 and is an Australian Technology Showcase (ATS) company. FLUOROtechnics is building an impressive portfolio of intellectual property (IP) in the area of fluorometrics that will be licensed for diverse applications. FLUOROtechnics has specialist fermentation and downstream processing capacity for the large-scale production of fluorescent molecules from fungi.

About Amersham Biosciences

Amersham Biosciences, the life sciences business of Amersham (LSE: NYSE: OSE: AHM), is a world leader in developing and providing integrated systems and solutions for disease research, drug development and manufacture. Our 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 technology 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 or please refer to Amersham Biosciences press release October 2003. (113kb PDF)

Contact: Professor Duncan Veal, CEO
Email: dveal@fluorotechnics.com