ART Advanced Research Technologies Secures First Direct Sale in Europe for its New Optix MX2 Molecular Imaging System

MONTREAL, CANADA (TSX: ARA), a Canadian medical device company and a leader in optical molecular imaging products for the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries, is pleased to announce that it has received an order from a European client for its recently released preclinical optical molecular imaging system, the Optix® MX2. The unit is expected to be shipped before the end of the year. This represents the first Optix unit sold in Europe by ART under its new commercial strategy.

"In Europe, as in the rest of the world, optical molecular imaging is leading the way when it comes to reducing drug development costs and helping to get new treatments to market faster," stated Sebastien Gignac, President and CEO of ART. "The interest from European research centres in our Optix MX2 system has been palpable, especially since Rik van Heijningen, Director of European Commercial Operations, has come on board to implement our new direct commercialization strategy in Europe. This sale to an important cancer and cardiovascular disease research centre in Europe confirms this interest", added Mr. Gignac.

"ART has the most sensitive optical imaging system in the market, and we believe that researchers are realizing the real value of the data set they are acquiring through the Optix system, which is enhancing their results considerably. In the case of new cancer therapies being developed, ART's technology can allow researchers to non-invasively see changes on the molecular level long before they become visible by anatomic imaging," concluded Dino DiCamillo, ART's Vice President, Global Sales & Marketing for Preclinical Imaging.

About the Optix® system

Based on time-domain technology, which allows measurement of the light's time of arrival, the Optix® in vivo optical molecular imaging device is the most sensitive optical imager commercially available on the preclinical market, allowing for detection of lower concentrations of signals deeper inside the body. Unique to the Optix system is the ability to recover fluorescence lifetime, which can be used to separate and quantify probe distributions depending on their respective biochemical environment. Also part of the Optix product offering is a new CT fusion software package allowing researchers to export the scan obtained using Optix in DICOM format, and fuse it with microCT for a full 3D anatomical reference.

About ART

ART Advanced Research Technologies Inc. is a leader in molecular imaging products for the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. ART has developed products in medical imaging, medical diagnostics, disease research, and drug discovery with the goal of bringing new and better treatments to patients faster. The Optix® optical molecular imaging system, designed for monitoring physiological changes in living systems at the preclinical study phases of new drugs, is distributed directly by ART in North America and Europe and is used by industry and academic leaders worldwide. The SoftScan® optical breast imaging device is designed to improve the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. ART is commercializing the SoftScan optical medical imaging device via a global strategic alliance with GE Healthcare, a world leader in mammography and imaging. Finally, the Fenestra® line of molecular imaging contrast products provide image enhancement for a wide range of preclinical Micro CT applications allowing scientists to see greater detail in their imaging studies, with potential extension into other major imaging modalities. The distribution of the Fenestra line of imaging contrast agents is made through GE Healthcare Bio-Science KK in Japan and is sold directly by the Company in the rest of the world. ART's shares are listed on the TSX under the ticker symbol ARA. For more information on ART, visit our website at www.art.ca .

This press release may contain forward-looking statements subject to risks and uncertainties that would cause actual events to differ materially from expectations. These risks and uncertainties are described in the most recent Annual Information Form and the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2006, available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).

Contacts: ART Advanced Research Technologies Inc. Jacques Bedard Chief Financial Officer 514-832-0777 [e-mail] ART Advanced Research Technologies Inc. Dino DiCamillo, Vice President Global Sales & Marketing for Preclinical Imaging 514-832-0777 www.art.ca