Licensing Agreement

RNS Number:9504N
M.L. Laboratories PLC
25 July 2003


25 July 2003


                 ML LICENSES GENE EXPRESSION TECHNOLOGY RIGHTS
                                  TO ANTISOMA


ML Laboratories PLC (LSE: MLB) announces that it has entered into a research
licence agreement with Antisoma Research Ltd, which grants Antisoma the right to
use ML's Ubiquitous Chromatin Opening Elements ("UCOE") gene expression
technology in a research programme to accelerate and improve expression of a
number of Antisoma's preclinical product candidates.

UCOEs are DNA elements that enhance and stabilise the expression of proteins in
mammalian cells by preventing gene silencing, a common problem in molecular
biology that results in reduced levels of gene product. UCOEs have broad
applications in the manufacture of proteins such as antibodies (both in
large-scale and rapid small-scale production), gene therapy, and drug target
discovery through functional genomics.

Antisoma is a biopharmaceutical company specialising in the development of novel
anti-cancer drugs.

As part of its strategy of accelerating the commercialisation of the
intellectual property generated by its own research, ML is actively licensing
UCOEs and other enabling platform technologies to third parties on a
non-exclusive basis. To date, ML has licensed the rights to certain applications
of the UCOE technology to a number of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies
including Medarex Inc. Further licence agreements are expected.

                                    - Ends -


For further information please contact:

ML Laboratories PLC                                               01925 844700
Peter Shennan, Chief Operating Officer
Stuart Sim, Chairman

Weber Shandwick Square Mile                                      020 7067 0700
Kevin Smith/Cass Helstrip



Note to Editors:

ML Laboratories PLC

ML is a biopharmaceutical product development company with a track record of
successful clinical development, regulatory approval and licensing of
pharmaceutical products and a pipeline of future products targeted at specialist
markets. ML's activities are supported by a growing income stream from marketed
products it has successfully developed and licensed to other pharmaceutical
companies, which include Baxter, Shire and Celltech.

New therapeutic products in clinical development include cancer treatments, a
pain management compound prepared to enter Phase III studies, a preventative of
sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, and a phosphate binder to assist
the management of kidney failure. ML's portfolio of early stage development
projects includes unique polymer/drug molecules to provide safer and more potent
cancer chemotherapy and technologies for use in the discovery and manufacture of
biotechnology products.

In addition ML provides inhaled drug delivery solutions to the global
pharmaceutical industry through its dedicated respiratory subsidiary Innovata
Biomed.

More information about ML Laboratories PLC can be found at www.mllabs.co.uk

For more information on ML's UCOE gene expression technology, please contact
Robert Crombie on + 44 (1782) 877277, [e-mail].











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            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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