Ambion and GE Healthcare Announce Licensing and Supply Agreeement to Advance Micro-RNA Microarray Research

Austin, TX, USA––Ambion, Inc., an Austin-based life sciences company that develops technologies for RNA analysis, and GE Healthcare, a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), today announced that they had entered into a license and supply agreement under which GE Healthcare will manufacture for Ambion microRNA (miRNA) microarrays utilizing GE Healthcare’s CodeLink™ Bioarray technology. These microarrays, the mirVana™ miRNA Bioarrays include a comprehensive panel of known human, mouse, and rat miRNAs as well as Ambion’s proprietary, non-published microRNAs, Ambi-miR™s. “For years, Ambion has been at the forefront of miRNA research by developing novel tools for isolation, fractionation, detection and expression profiling of miRNA. We are very pleased that this agreement allows Ambion an enhanced ability to provide enabling products and services to researchers involved in the rapidly evolving microRNA research field,” said Matt Winkler, Chief Executive Officer of Ambion. “This is a great example of how we can take CodeLink’s proven technology into new application areas by partnering with companies who are leaders in their field. The combination of CodeLink ‘s array technology with Ambion’s content and assays creates an innovative and powerful tool that meets the needs of this growing research market,” said Ger Brophy, vice president of product acquisition and licensing for Discovery Systems, GE Healthcare. About MicroRNAs MicroRNA molecules are a recently discovered class of small RNA molecules that are critical in the development and life cycle of humans, animals, and plants. MicroRNAs are major regulators of global gene expression and likely play significant roles in the manifestation of many disease states. Recent evidence indicates that microRNAs play a critical role in the development of cancer and certain viral infections. About Ambion Ambion, Inc., The RNA Company®, is a leader in the development and supply of innovative, RNA-based life science research and molecular diagnostic products. Ambion has taken a leadership role in developing products for handling, preserving, isolating, detecting and measuring RNA in areas such as molecular biology, cell biology, microbiology, drug discovery and genomics. Ambion has been active in microRNA research and providing microRNA-related products since 2002. Ambion has filed several patents related to technologies for analyzing microRNAs as well as the identities of microRNAs related to cancer and other human diseases. About CodeLink GE Healthcare manufactures CodeLink bioarrays with Six Sigma tools to ensure that every bioarray complies to design and quality specifications. All CodeLink bioarrays are arrayed on an exclusive 3-D aqueous gel matrix, which ensures enhanced interaction between probe and target simulating liquid phase hybridization kinetics. The result is accurate and reproducible biological assays. About GE Healthcare GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies that are shaping a new age of patient care. GE Healthcare’s expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring and life support systems, disease research, drug discovery, and biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies is helping physicians detect disease earlier and to tailor personalized treatments for patients. GE Healthcare offers a broad range of products and services that are improving productivity in healthcare and enhancing patient care by enabling healthcare providers to better diagnose and treat cancer, heart disease, neurological diseases, and other conditions. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, GE Healthcare is a $15 billion unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 43,000 people committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries. For more information, visit www.gehealthcare.com.

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