GENEART Extends Strategic Partnership with QIAGEN to Commercialize Synthetic Human Genes

- Optimized synthetic standard genes are now also available for use
in insect or mammalian cells

- Extension of joint offer as response to high number of customer
requests from academia and pharmaceutical industry

- Synthetic standard human genes are optimized and produced by
GENEART and sold via QIAGENS's GeneGlobe web portal

- Marketing of standardized human genes perfectly complements
GENEART's existing business to tailor gene sequences for individual
customer requests

Regensburg, September 04, 2008 - GENEART (Frankfurt, Entry Standard,
G6A) today announced the extension of its strategic collaboration
with QIAGEN (Nasdaq: QGEN; Frankfurt, Prime Standard: QIA). So far,
the complete set of optimized synthetic human genes sold via QIAGEN's
web portal GeneGlobe ("QIAgenes") was designed for the production in
E.coli bacteria only. The new set of genes will now be optimized for
the use in insect or mammalian cells. With this offer, customers from
academia as well as from pharmaceutical and biotech companies now can
order optimized synthetic genes for use in mammalian and insect cells
online via GeneGlobe. All QIAgenes are optimized and synthesized by
GENEART.

"With the expansion of QIAgenes Expression Kits to include expression
constructs that can be transfected into insect or mammalian cells, we
are addressing a significant unmet customer need," says Dr. Ute
Boronowsky, Global Product Manager at QIAGEN. "Since the launch of
our expression kits for use in E. coli cells in May, we have received
a high number of requests for these two additional options. Customer
service is a core commitment of QIAGEN and GENEART, and we are proud
we have been able to respond to this need so quickly."
"Low success rates together with limited yields in protein expression
have always been a major challenge for scientists", says Prof. Dr.
Ralf Wagner, CEO/CSO of GENEART. "With our GeneOptimizer® and
GeneAssembler® technology we are able to overcome this bottleneck for
research. Validation studies have shown that genes optimized and
synthesized by GENEART yield up to 50 fold more protein than
conventional methods using "natural genes", and achieve high success
rates of expression of more than 90%.

With QIAgenes the collaboration partners succeeded in making human
genes available in a standardized format for scientists all over the
world. Customers choose the gene or protein sequence of their choice
via the GeneGlobe web portal and receive the corresponding QIAgene by
mail. With this service the marketing of QIAgenes as standardized
catalogue product perfectly complements GENEART's existing business
to tailor gene sequences for individual customer requests.

For further inquiries, please contact:

Bernd Merkl
GENEART AG
Josef-Engert-Str. 11
93053 Regensburg
Germany
Phone: +49-(0)941-942 76-638
Fax: +49-(0)941-942 76-711
ir@geneart.com
www.geneart.com

Frank Ostermair
Better Orange IR & HV AG
Haidelweg 48
81241 Munich
Germany
Phone: +49-(0)89-8896906-10
Fax: +49-(0)89-8896906-66
info@better-orange.de
www.better-orange.de

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company plans and objectives, products or services, future results,
opinions about these results or opinions leading up to these results.
All these projections into the future are subject to risk,
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GENEART Group. Many factors may lead to actual results, which
considerably deviate from the given projections for these results.

About Geneart:
In 2000, GENEART entered the gene synthesis market and has since
become the global market leader. Today, the company is one of the
leading specialists in the synthetic biology field. Experts at
GENEART provide key technologies for the development and production
of new therapeutics and vaccines. Customers also take advantage of
GENEART services to customize enzyme attributes, such as the
attributes of enzymes used as detergent additives, and to construct
bacteria, which produce complex biopolymers or break down polymers,
such as synthetics, petroleum components, etc. Our production and
service spectrum spans a wide range, from the production of synthetic
genes according to DIN EN ISO 9001-2000, to the creation of gene
libraries in the combinatorial biology, to the development and
production of DNA-based biologically active substances. The GENEART
AG in Regensburg (Germany) and the subsidiary GENEART Inc. in Toronto
(Canada) employ more than 190 people. Since May 2006, GENEART is
listed on the German Stock Exchange.

About QIAGEN:
QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands holding company, is the
leading global provider of sample and assay technologies. Sample
technologies are used to isolate and process DNA, RNA and proteins
from biological samples such as blood or tissue. Assay technologies
are used to make such isolated biomolecules visible. QIAGEN has
developed and markets more than 500 consumable products as well as
automated solutions for such consumables. The company provides its
products to molecular diagnostics laboratories, academic researchers,
pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and applied
testing customers for purposes such as forensics, animal or food
testing and pharmaceutical process control. QIAGEN's assay
technologies include one of the broadest panels of molecular
diagnostic tests available worldwide. This panel includes the only
FDA-approved test for human papillomavirus (HPV), the primary cause
of cervical cancer. QIAGEN employs more than 2,800 people in over 30
locations worldwide. Further information about QIAGEN can be found at
www.qiagen.com.
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