Diaxonhit Signs a Research Service Agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim for the Discovery of Novel Epitope Targets in Oncology

Regulatory News :

Diaxonhit (Paris:ALEHT) (Alternext: ALEHT) enters into a research service agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim for the discovery and characterization of novel splice variants that have the potential to be therapeutic targets for oncology. Through the agreement Boehringer Ingelheim secures an option to acquire the rights to research, develop and commercialize, any targets identified using Diaxonhit’s patented SpliceArray™ discovery platform, with the aim of adding further to its comprehensive research programme to develop innovative new cancer drugs.

"This agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim demonstrates the continued interest in and effectiveness of our SpliceArrayTM discovery platform, and the expertise we have efficiently developed to exploit our comprehensive transcriptomic data for new target discovery ” said Loïc Maurel M.D., President of Diaxonhit’s Management Board.

Diaxonhit will apply its expertise and target discovery platform, built upon its genome-wide SpliceArrayTM technology, to identify splice variants that are expressed in cancer tissue. These variants will be analyzed using a unique workflow tailored to rapidly identify and characterize novel epitope targets suitable for antibody-based therapeutic development.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

____________________

About Diaxonhit

Diaxonhit (NYSE Alternext, FR0004054427, ALEHT) is a French fully integrated leader in the in-vitro diagnostic field, involved from research to commercialization of specialty diagnostic products.

With many partnerships and a strong presence in hospitals, Diaxonhit has an extensive commercialization network. Through its affiliate, InGen, it commercializes and services, mostly under exclusivity agreements, in-vitro diagnostic kits and advanced equipment. It operates mainly in the fields of transplantation, infectious diseases and autoimmunity, product quality control and rapid tests, including Tetanus Quick Stick ®, a proprietary product. InGen is the leading supplier in France of HLA tests manufactured by Thermo-Fisher/One Lambda, of which it is the largest distributor worldwide.

The group also owns a diversified portfolio of products in development, including both innovative molecular and non-molecular diagnostics, covering three main specialty areas: immuno-infection, Alzheimer's disease and cancer.

Diaxonhit headquarters are located in Paris and its affiliate in the Paris region. The Group is listed on NYSE Alternext in Paris and is part of the NYSE Alternext OSEO innovation index.

For more information, please visit: http://www.diaxonhit.com.

About Boehringer Ingelheim

The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world’s 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, it operates globally with 140 affiliates and more than 46,000 employees. Since it was founded in 1885, the family-owned company has been committed to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel medications of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.

Social responsibility is a central element of Boehringer Ingelheim's culture. Involvement in social projects, caring for employees and their families, and providing equal opportunities for all employees form the foundation of the global operations. Mutual cooperation and respect, as well as environmental protection and sustainability are intrinsic factors in all of Boehringer Ingelheim’s endeavors.

In 2012, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of about 14.7 billion euro. R&D expenditure in the business area Prescription Medicines corresponds to 22.5% of its net sales.

For more information please visit www.boehringer-ingelheim.com

Disclaimer

This press release contains elements that are not historical facts including, without limitation, certain statements about future expectations and other forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on management’s current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those anticipated.

In addition, Exonhit, its shareholders, and its affiliates, directors, officers, advisors and employees have not verified the accuracy of, and make no representations or warranties in relation to, statistical data or predictions contained in this press release that were taken or derived from third party sources or industry publications, and such statistical data and predictions are used in this press release for information purposes only.

Finally, this press release may be drafted in the French and English languages. In an event of differences between the texts, the English language version shall prevail.