OXFORD BIOMEDICA

Oxford Biomedica and IDM Announce Strategic Colloboration to Develop New Cell-Based Therapy Programmes

Oxford, England, and Paris, France - 20 January 2000. Oxford BioMedica plc (AIM-OXB) and Immuno-Designed Molecules S.A. (IDM) today announced that they have signed an agreement, whereby the two companies will co-develop new cell-based therapy programmes. This collaboration underlines Oxford BioMedica's strategy of applying its core gene therapy technology to other fields including that of gene-based immunotherapy.

Cell-based therapy is a powerful approach to fighting diseases including cancer that uses cells from a patient's own immune system. It works by removing cells from a patient, manipulating them to increase their immune potential, and re-introducing them to the patient.

Oxford BioMedica has developed novel methods for genetic engineering of patients' immune cells for the treatment of tumours. It is also developing therapeutic cancer vaccines which use potent tumour antigens.

IDM has developed Cell DrugsT which are produced using patient-dedicated Cell Processors. IDM's Cell Processor technology allows the safe manipulation of patients' immune cells to become a routine hospital process, so speeding up the clinical development of cell-based therapy.

The combination of the two company's technologies will create new product programmes which should move rapidly into clinical development. Early products from the collaboration could be a series of novel vaccines against cancer and other diseases. Under the terms of the collaboration Oxford BioMedica and IDM will jointly develop novel therapeutics, and will share the revenues from such products. This agreement should extend the reach of each company's technologies into new therapeutic markets.

Commenting on the collaboration, BioMedica's Chief Executive, Professor Alan Kingsman, said:
"IDM have developed a leading position in cell-based therapy with their clinically approved cell processor. This will make cell-based therapy a reality and provide us with a means of getting our technologies such as MacroGenTM and LentiVectorsTM into cell-based products much faster. This is an excellent deal and it fits well with our increasing activity in immunotherapy via gene delivery.

" Dr. Jean-Loup Romet-Lemonne, IDM's President and CEO, said: "BioMedica has first class gene transfer technology and some novel approaches to identifying new tumour antigens. Together, we can develop new exciting Cell DrugsT in the field of immunotherapy that would not otherwise have been possible."

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Notes to Editors

1. Oxford BioMedica plc
   Established in 1995, the Company specialises in the development and application of gene-based therapeutics using advance gene delivery technologies for the treatment of disease in the areas of Oncology, Viral Infection, Neurobiology and Genetic Deficiency. Oxford BioMedica plc was floated on the UK Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange in December 1996.
2. IDM
   IDM is a privately owned biopharmaceutical company developing new cell and gene therapy treatments to fight cancer and other life-threatening diseases. IDM applies its proprietary technologies to selectively isolate, engineer, expand and activate specific cell populations which are involved in therapeutic vaccination. IDM's products are designed to boost the immune system, destroy residual tumour cells, and immunise patients to prevent tumour recurrence. For more information about the company visit its Web site at http://www.idm-biotech.com
3. IDM Cell Processors
   IDM's cell processors are single-use medical devices which contain all the necessary chemicals, devices, and quality control reagents for the preparation of standardised cell therapy products. An additional key feature of IDM's cell processors is their accompanying Lab Quality System software designed to guide the user at every stage in the cell preparation process, providing built-in safeguards to ensure the final product meets or exceeds required quality
4. Gene-based Immunotherapy
   Gene-based immunotherapy seeks to treat disease by modulating (either increasing or reducing) a patient's immune responses using advanced gene delivery techniques. Immune responses are an important factor in the development of a wide range of diseases including cancer, auto-immune diseases such as arthritis and infectious disease.
5. Oxford BioMedica's LentiVectorT and MacroGenT Technology
   Through its proprietary LentiVectorT systems Oxford BioMedica is able to efficiently deliver therapeutic genes to a wide range of cell types, including cells of the immune system.

   The MacroGenT programme uses advanced gene delivery techniques to introduce therapeutic genes to macrophages, an important class of white blood cells. Macrophages modified in this way have properties which make them important candidates for the treatment of diseases including cancer and auto-immune diseases.

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