Tm Bioscience Corporation Licenses Key P450 Pharmacogenetic Marker From EPIDAUROS Biotechnologie AG

TORONTO and BERNRIED, Germany, March 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Tm Bioscience Corporation , a leader in the commercial genetic testing market, today announced it has signed an agreement with EPIDAUROS Biotechnologie AG (Bernried, Germany) for a co-exclusive commercial license to EPIDAUROS' patents on a specific biomarker related to the P450-CYP2D6 gene. Only one other company has a license to this genetic marker and Tm Bioscience and EPIDAUROS have negotiated an agreement whereby no other licenses for this variant will be granted in the future.

"This licensing agreement puts Tm in the exceptional position of being one of only three companies, including EPIDAUROS, in the world with the right to use this genetic marker. This is one of the most important markers in pharmacogenetics, critical for identifying the second most frequent variation in the CYP2D6 gene in Caucasians. This marker occurs in 8.4% of the Caucasian population and can lead to changes in the function of the enzyme implicated in the metabolism of 25% of the most commonly prescribed drugs(1). Roche Diagnostics includes this marker in its AmpliChip CYP450 test cleared for in vitro diagnostic use in the US and EU," said Greg Hines, President and CEO of Tm Bioscience. "Having a co-exclusive license to this marker will give our 2D6 product a distinct advantage in the marketplace and further establishes Tm Bioscience as a leader in personalized medicine."

Under the terms of the agreement Tm Bioscience will provide an upfront signing-fee and royalties on their commercial sales of P450 Tag-It(TM) tests that include this biomarker.

"Tm was an obvious choice for the commercialization of our intellectual property, having developed considerable expertise in molecular diagnostics and built an impressive infrastructure for the development and commercial distribution of genetic tests," said Dr. Manfred Zoltobrocki, CEO of EPIDAUROS. "We look forward to exploring additional opportunities to work with Tm Bioscience for the development of novel pharmacogenetic applications."

The agreement covers the CYP2D6 -1584C greater than G variant which allows the important discrimination between the CYP2D6(x)2 and CYP2D6(x)41 genotypes. While CYP2D6(x)2 is associated with normal drug metabolism, CYP2D6(x)41 is associated with reduced drug metabolism which can lead to an increased risk of possible overdose or adverse drug reaction. The (x)41 allele is the second most frequent allele in the CYP2D6 gene in Caucasians, occurring with a frequency of 8.4%(1).

Tm Bioscience is committed to becoming a leader in pharmacogenetics (PGx) - the application of genetic testing to identify an individual's response to a specific drug. The Company is commercializing a suite of drug metabolism tests with initial products focused on the P450 family of enzymes, which affect the metabolism of more than 50% of all drugs. Tm offers a comprehensive menu of PGx tests including unique and proprietary PGx tests, and is dedicated to creating resources for educating laboratorians, physicians, and patients about the clinical applications of PGx.

(1) Source: Raimundo et al. A novel intronic mutation, 2988G greater than A, with high predictivity for impaired function of cytochrome P450 2D6 in white subjects. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2004 Aug;76(2):128-38. About EPIDAUROS Biotechnologie AG

EPIDAUROS Biotechnologie AG is a leading pharmacogenetics company that investigates the genetic factors influencing a person's response to a drug in order to make drug development and therapy safer and more efficient. Its aim is the "personalized drug" that is customized to the genetic profile of each patient. EPIDAUROS investigates and characterizes variations of genes (polymorphisms) that encode for drug transporter proteins and for drug metabolizing enzymes. In addition, EPIDAUROS investigates genes that encode drug targets.

EPIDAUROS offers pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies a comprehensive package of pharmacogenetic assays and services, which will significantly improve the results of clinical studies and drug treatment. EPIDAUROS develops profiling assays which help to characterize the pharmacogenetic background of compounds in the clinical phase of drug development and therefore to evaluate their success rate. Using EPIDAUROS' pharmacogenetic profiling assays, drug therapy can be optimized and adopted to the patients' genetic profiles. With these tests, physicians can maximize the individual effectiveness of a treatment and minimize the likelihood of adverse reactions. Additional information about EPIDAUROS can be found at www.epidauros.com.

About Tag-It(TM) reagents and genetic tests

Tm Bioscience's product menu is focused in the fields of human genetic disorders, pharmacogenetics and infectious disease. The Company has commercialized Analyte Specific Reagents(x) and a series of Tag-It(TM) tests(xx) for a variety of genetic disorders. The Company's Tag-It(TM) Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Kit is the first multiplexed human disease genotyping test to be cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an in vitro device (IVD) for diagnostic use in the United States. It has also received the CE Mark, allowing the test to be marketed for diagnostic purposes in the European Union. All genetic tests from Tm Bioscience are based on the Tag-It(TM) Universal Array platform, which utilizes a proprietary universal tag system that allows for easy optimization, product development and expansion. Assays from Tm operate on the Luminex xMAP(R) system, a well- established bead based instrument. Combined, the Universal Array and Luminex instrument enable the rapid production of flexible, high-throughput, low-cost DNA-based tests.

(x)Analyte Specific Reagent. Analytical and performance characteristics are not established. (xx)For Investigational Use Only. The performance characteristics of these products have not been established. About Tm Bioscience - Putting the Human Genome to Work(TM)

Tm Bioscience is a DNA-based diagnostics company developing a suite of genetic tests. Tm Bioscience's product pipeline includes tests for genetic disorders, drug metabolism, and infectious diseases. Tm Bioscience is located in Toronto, Ontario. Additional information about Tm Bioscience can be found at www.tmbioscience.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, which by their nature necessarily involve risk and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such statements. Tm Bioscience considers the assumptions on which these forward-looking statements are based to be reasonable at the time they were prepared, but cautions readers that these assumptions may ultimately prove to be incorrect due to certain risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, the difficulty of predicting regulatory approvals, market acceptance and demand for new products, the availability of appropriate genetic content and other materials required for Tm Bioscience's products, Tm Bioscience's ability to manufacture its products on a large scale, the protection of intellectual property connected with genetic content, the impact of competitive products, currency fluctuations, risks associated with Tm Bioscience's manufacturing facility and any other similar or related risks and uncertainties. If any of these risks or uncertainties were to materialize, or if assumptions underlying the forward- looking statements of management were to prove incorrect, actual results of Tm Bioscience could vary materially from those that are expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Tm Bioscience disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

CONTACT: Tm Bioscience Corporation, James Smith, The Equicom Group, Tel.:(416) 815-0700, Email: jsmith@equicomgroup.com; EPIDAUROS BiotechnologieAG, Dr. Stefan Reschauer, Patents & Licensing, Am Neuland 1, D-82347Bernried, Germany, Tel.: +49 (0)8158 9985 0, Fax: +49 (0)8158 9985 48,Email: stefan.reschauer@epidauros.com; Dr. Manfred Zoltobrocki, CEO, Tel.:+49(0)8158-9985-0, Email: manfred.zoltobrocki@epidauros.com; To request afree copy of this organization's annual report, please go tohttp://www.newswire.ca and click on Tools for Investors.