Exiqon Announces Achievement of Primary Milestones in RNAi Project for Tacere Therapeutics

VEDBAEK, Denmark, Sept. 15, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Exiqon A/S (Copenhagen:EXQ)
today announced the successful completion of several key milestones in a
custom-designed RNAi project for Tacere Therapeutics. This project resulted from
a collaboration between Tacere and Pfizer Inc. to develop and commercialize the
TT-033 family of compounds to provide a potential single-administration
treatment for the Hepatitis C virus (HCV).

Exiqon was selected to complete a series of customized assays, aimed at the
detection of therapeutic shRNA molecules currently under development by Pfizer
and Tacere, using Exiqon's proprietary LNA(TM) technology platform. The assays
will be used to assess critical performance points for the RNAi therapeutic in a
pre-clinical setting.

"The ability to quantify the levels and assess the biodistribution of
therapeutic RNAi are critical issues for those in the field who are developing
the technology as a new therapeutic modality," says David Suhy, PhD, Director of
Research & Development for Tacere. "Unfortunately, the use of traditional
quantitative assays to obtain these data has been hampered by the exceptionally
small size of the RNA. The combination of the unique properties of LNA-enhanced
oligonucleotides and the demonstrated scientific expertise of the Exiqon team
made them an attractive partner for this project."

The nature of the specimens posed a significant challenge for this kind of
assay, according to members of the Exiqon development team. "Unlike many
detection assays of this kind, which are designed for use within a single cell
type per experiment (e.g. cell-pellet assays), this project required the use of
animal tissue specimens, which add a layer of complexity, due to the presence of
heterogeneous cellular populations within tissues," says Adam Baker, Director of
Diagnostic Product Development for Exiqon. "In addition, these assays were
designed and developed for use in Formalin-fixed, Paraffin-embedded (FFPE)
tissue samples." FFPE sample preparation, which is an important preservation
method used mainly in medical histology, provides several key benefits to
researchers and clinicians. FFPE specimens may be stored indefinitely at room
temperature, enabling their use in certain diagnostic applications, even decades
after fixation. Formalin, however, which is used to fix the tissue, causes
cross-linkage between nucleic acids and proteins, leading to RNA modification
and degradation, which can impede the development of nucleic acid detection
assays in these specimens.

The development of these customized assays represents a new breakthrough in the
detection and quantification of RNAi species in tissue samples, according to
Exiqon Chief Commercial Officer Erik Holmlin. "Until now, researchers have had
to choose, within any particular tissue sample, whether to determine how much of
their target is present, or where it has been localized in the tissue," Holmlin
explains. "Through the application of LNA(TM) technology in this novel approach
to assay design, we are able to deliver both pieces of information on the same
tissue sample, adding a new depth of perspective into the biology taking place.
We believe this has the potential to dramatically improve the quality of
information obtained from these types of experiments, and reduce development
times for new therapies."

Financial terms of the project were not disclosed.

About Exiqon:

Exiqon is a biotech company with activities in three business areas where the
company's technologies provide a competitive advantage: Sale of diagnostic tests
(Exiqon Diagnostics), sale of innovative research products for miRNA research
(Exiqon Life Sciences), and in contract research together with pharmaceutical
companies (Exiqon Pharma Services). Exiqon is dedicated to personalizing the
treatment selection for cancer patients. The aim is to optimize the use of
existing medicine and avoid unnecessary and non-effective treatment. By using
molecular diagnostic tests that analyze the genetic profile of each patient's
tumor, treatment selection can be optimized for individuals. Exiqon is uniquely
positioned to develop such new diagnostic tests. Exiqon already markets
diagnostic tests that based on fresh tumor tissue enable doctors to test whether
their patients are resistant to one or more of the chemotherapies offered to
treat these patients and help them select an efficacious treatment. Exiqon's new
molecular diagnostic products are based on the LNA(TM) technology that enables
testing on fixed tissue. Launch of the first molecular diagnostic product was
announced in December 2008. A number of new products will follow in the years
ahead. Using the LNA(TM) technology is what has allowed Exiqon to establish a
position for itself as one of the market's leading providers of research
products for gene expression analysis. These research products are used by
university scientists and in the pharmaceutical industry around the world to
make groundbreaking discoveries about the correlation between gene activity and
the development various diseases. Exiqon is also collaborating with
pharmaceutical companies in their effort to develop new medicines based on
biomarkers (Personalized Medicine). Exiqon has more than 170 employees and is
listed on NASDAQ OMX in Copenhagen. Exiqon is financed until expected break-even
in 2011.

About Tacere Therapeutics:

Tacere is an innovative biotechnology company focused on developing therapeutics
to treat serious infectious diseases using its proprietary knowledge in the
development of RNAi therapeutics. Tacere is located in San Jose, California, USA
and its lead therapeutic compounds are RNAi drugs for the treatment of Hepatitis
C. For additional information, please visit www.tacerebio.com.

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CONTACT: Exiqon A/S
Lars Kongsbak, CEO
+45 4566 0888
Cell: +45 4090 2101