Roche NimbleGen and Biogemma entered into a research agreement which will
apply Roche NimbleGen?s array-based Sequence Capture complexity reduction
technology to provide targeted re-sequencing of crop plant genomes. The goal
of this partnership is to develop new technologies that enable large-scale
genomic marker discovery in plants, which will greatly facilitate
marker-assisted breeding programs to select the crops with desirable traits
that will benefit human lives.

The collaboration will target highly polyploidy plant genomes including
wheat and rapeseed (canola). These large polyploid genomes (16 Gbp for
hexaploid wheat, 1.2 Gb for canola), necessitate complexity reduction for
single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) discovery to target or capture the
unique DNA sequences associated with genes of high utility to crop breeders
from the majority of insignificant, repetitive DNA sequences present in the
genome. Biogemma plans to power their proprietary sequences with NimbleGen
technology to accelerate discoveries for the molecular breeding programs of
their shareholders. This co-development leverages recent optimizations of
Roche NimbleGen?s core Sequence Capture technology for the Genome Sequencer
FLX Titanium series sequencing platform from 454 Life Sciences.

According to Gerd Maass, CEO of Roche NimbleGen, ?Roche NimbleGen is
extremely pleased to partner with Biogemma on the application of Sequence
Capture, a revolutionary technology that can target only the DNA sequences
of interest to reduce time and cost. This collaboration will expand the
understanding of plant genome structure and aid in the research and
development of advanced agricultural species to improve food safety,
increase productivity, and help improve the quality of life worldwide.?

According to Pascual Perez, CEO of Biogemma, ?With the impressive increase
of genomics sequences into crops, we?ve found the sequence capture
technology developed by Roche NimbleGen a crucial technology to capture the
maximum of genetic diversity in important genomics areas for major crops.
Wheat and Canola are very valuable crops for our seed business shareholders
and, due to their genome structure, remain very challenging to develop
efficient molecular markers on a larger scale. Biogemma is strongly
convinced that this strategic partnership with Roche NimbleGen will result
in the development of a targeted sequence capture technology for such crops.
This will significantly enhance our gene discovery capabilities and the
development of numerous genetic markers linked to important traits for the
benefit of our shareholders. Importantly, this will also speed their
breeding programs and reduce their time to market, both of which will have a
significant impact on agriculture.?

Biogemma is a leading agricultural biotech company in Europe involved in
Genomics applied to Field Crops. Result of the merger of the biotech
activity of three major seed business companies specialized in plant
improvement, Vilmorin Company ( Limagrain Group), Euralis and RAGT and with
the help of two financial institutions Sofiproteol and Unigrain with the
support of the technical agency Arvalis, the company is developing R&D
programs with its partners, in 4 major field crops : Corn, Wheat, Sunflower
and Rapeseed. Their primary focus is the greatest challenge in agriculture:
to explain, explore and enrich the genetic diversity of those crops with the
aims of yield improvement, low input of fertilizers, biotic and abiotic
stresses tolerances and quality and speciality grain compounds.

Biogemma is committed to using an environmentally responsible approach and
the latest technology to enable crop breeders to develop innovative plant
products and food chains, a primary reason why Roche NimbleGen engaged in
this synergistic partnership.

Roche NimbleGen is a leading innovator, manufacturer, and supplier of a
proprietary suite of DNA microarrays, consumables, instruments, and
services. Roche NimbleGen uniquely produces high-density arrays of long
oligo probes that provide greater information content and higher data
quality necessary for studying the full diversity of genomic and epigenomic
variation. The improved performance is made possible by Roche NimbleGen?s
proprietary Maskless Array Synthesis (MAS) technology, which uses digital
light processing and rapid, high-yield photochemistry to synthesize long
oligo, high-density DNA microarrays with extreme flexibility. For more
information about Roche NimbleGen, please visit the company?s website at
www.nimblegen.com.

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world?s leading
research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals and
diagnostics. As the world?s biggest biotech company and an innovator of
products and services for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis and
treatment of diseases, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to
improving people?s health and quality of life. Roche is the world leader in
in-vitro diagnostics and drugs for cancer and transplantation, and is a
market leader in virology. It is also active in other major therapeutic
areas such as autoimmune diseases, inflammatory and metabolic disorders and
diseases of the central nervous system. In 2007 sales by the Pharmaceuticals
Division totaled 36.8 billion Swiss francs, and the Diagnostics Division
posted sales of 9.3 billion francs. Roche has R&D agreements and strategic
alliances with numerous partners, including majority ownership interests in
Genentech and Chugai, and invested over 8 billion Swiss francs in R&D in
2007. Worldwide, the Group employs about 80,000 people. Additional
information is available on the Internet at www.roche.com.
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