PENZBERG, Germany–On April 3rd, three months before worldwide launch, Roche Applied Science sold the first xCELLigence System at the Analytica 2008 trade in Munich. In July the system has been installed at AgenoLab GmbH & Co. KG in Stuttgart (Germany), a supplier of contract biotechnology and life science laboratory services. AgenoLab is the first company worldwide using the new technology of Roche Applied Science for real-time cell monitoring. Also the company uses the latest LightCycler 480 instrument for real-time PCR analysis. AgenoLab offers worldwide services in GMP production, microbiology, molecularbiology, cell culture technology, tissue engineering, quality assurance, oncology, and histology.

The cell-based xCELLigence System was originally invented by US-based ACEA Biosciences, and co-developed by Roche and ACEA. The xCELLigence System will be marketed exclusively by Roche on a worldwide basis. The design of the electronic sensor and other innovative techniques to collect and assess data make this system an excellent platform for cell-based assays and provide a benchmark potential for cellular and molecular biology. Continuous measurement is performed label free and fast – the system needs less than 15 seconds to analyze a 96 well E Plate.

“The fact that the first xCELLigence Systems have already been ordered before the official product launch shows that there is a real need for this new technology in cell analysis,” states Manfred Baier, Head of Roche Applied Science.

For more information on the technology of the xCELLigence System, please visit www.xCELLigence.roche.com.

About Roche

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 totalled 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.

XCELLIGENCE and LIGHTCYCLER are trademarks of Roche.

E-PLATE and ACEA BIOSCIENCES are registered trademarks of ACEA Biosciences,

Inc. in the US.