The Hamner Institutes and Oslo Cancer Cluster Announce Partnership

Memorandum Of Understanding Strengthens European Arm of Global Biosciences Gateway

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, North Carolina and OSLO, February 18, 2010 - The Hamner Institutes at Research Triangle Park has signed a formal
Memorandum of Understanding with the Oslo Cancer Cluster in Oslo, Norway, one
of the leading cancer clusters in Europe. The goal of the collaboration is to
strengthen The Hamner's Global BioScience Gateway for Translational Research
and Business Development, which began with partnerships in China. Through its
partnership with the Oslo Cancer Cluster, the expanded Global Biosciences
Gateway will now enable companies and comprehensive cancer centers to speed
development of new cancer therapies. The collaboration will create an
infrastructure in North Carolina and Oslo for efficient drug discovery, high
quality oncology clinical trials, and access to drug safety and regulatory
experts that can address FDA, EMEA and eventually the Chinese SFDA.

Specific initiatives of The Hamner-Oslo collaboration will focus on
translational research, business development, and training and education. The
Hamner will provide access to its wide network of research collaborators
including three Comprehensive Cancer Centers located in North Carolina, the
Shanghai Center for Disease Control, and Tianjin Institute for Hematology.
Training and education will include post-doctoral training in innovative drug
safety technologies, business training for entering the U.S. market, and
regulatory training for compliance with FDA standards. Oslo will bring its
highly regarded research and Phase I resources, and potential future access
to its own growing European network of collaborators, which includes
Heidelberg, Lund, Toulouse, Barcelona and Madrid.

Additionally, The Hamner Accelerator will facilitate the launch of
Norwegian bioscience companies - currently numbering among some of the
leading innovators in Europe entering the U.S. market. The trilateral
collaboration among The Hamner, the Oslo Cancer Cluster and China will serve
as a vital portal for the pharmaceutical industry to access new discoveries
and resources in oncology.

QUOTES:

"We passionately believe that this partnership with The Hamner will
enable companies and comprehensive cancer centers to speed development of new
cancer therapies through global partnerships," said Bjarte Reve, CEO of the
Oslo Cancer Cluster. "Over the last few years, we have already taken great
strides in Europe to bring together such clusters, with concrete results,
such as a Phase 1 network and joint EU-IMI submissions. This partnership with
The Hamner is a logical next step to forge stronger links with the U.S. and
also to complement our existing initiatives in China."

"The partnership with the Oslo Cancer Cluster, a world leader in cancer
research and technology development, is a key link in a shared Global
Biosciences Gateway and strategy to accelerate the development of new cancer
therapeutics worldwide," said William Greenlee, CEO of The Hamner. "The
ability we now have to identify and capture cutting-edge cancer research in
Europe and China will not only benefit patients, but also will be an
important driver for business and economic development in our respective
countries."

ABOUT THE HAMNER INSTITUTES FOR HEALTH SCIENCES:

The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences is strategically located on a
56-acre campus in the heart of Research Triangle Park, N.C. As a
cross-disciplinary nonprofit organization, The Hamner Institutes acts as a
catalyst to facilitate technology development among North Carolina
universities, while serving as a gateway to establish research collaborations
with the bio/pharmaceutical industry and countries in Europe and Asia. The
Hamner Institutes also has an Accelerator to support emerging companies and a
new Institute for Translational Medicine to enhance its research in oncology,
diabetes, and respiratory diseases. www.thehamner.org.

ABOUT OSLO CANCER CLUSTER:

Oslo Cancer Cluster NCE is a biotech cluster organization that is
committed to improving the lives of cancer patients by accelerating the
development of new cancer diagnostics and medicines. The cluster gained the
status of Norwegian Centre of Expertise in 2007, and long term governmental
co-funding. The cluster builds on Norway's unique infrastructure, from
biobanks to extensive patient registries, that accelerates translational
cancer research. In June 2008, Genome Technology named Oslo (along with North
Carolina) as one of the 20 best places for biotech in the world.
www.oslocancercluster.no

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    MMI Public Relations             Schwartz Communications
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Ryal Curtis, MMI Public Relations, +1-919-233-6600, ryal at mmipublicrelations.com; or Richard Hayhurst, Schwartz Communications, +44-208-973-2630, rhayhurst at schwartz-pr.com