AbSorber is granted U.S. patent for AB0 column

Press release
April 8, 2008

AbSorber is granted U.S. patent for AB0 column

LinkMed's portfolio company AbSorber has been granted a patent in the U.S. for
an AB0 column that the company is developing to facilitate transplantations
between individuals of different blood groups. The patent concerns a molecule
that is being developed to adsorb antibodies and is a substance patent. 

“AbSorber is carrying out exciting research and a strong intellectual property
rights position is a prerequisite for the commercial success of this research,”
says Ingemar Lagerlöf, CEO LinkMed. “Being granted a patent in the U.S. is
therefore an important development step.”

The AB0 column facilitates transplantations between individuals of different
blood groups by cleaning the blood from antibodies directed against the blood
group antigen. The treatment is called adsorption and is similar to dialysis.
Due to organ deficit, the queues for transplantations are very long and many
patients have to wait for several years to receive one. Today, patients must
undergo treatment on numerous occasions in order to reduce the number of
antibodies to a manageable level. 

When an organ is donated by a living donor, the donor is often a relative. It is
believed that the number of organ donations from relatives could be increased
significantly by facilitating transplantations between individuals of different
blood groups. 

The AB0 column now granted a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is
believed to be considerably more effective than other AB0 columns on the market
today. AbSorber's AB0 column most probably requires fewer treatments per patient
and will also facilitate the treatment of more patients. AbSorber plans to
continue product development and carry out clinical trials with the AB0 column
in 2009.

AbSorber develops products that facilitate more successful transplantations. The
company, which is owned by LinkMed and Koncentra Holding, was established in
1999 to commercialize research carried out by professors Jan Holgersson and
Suchitra Holgersson at the Karolinska University Hospital in Huddinge, outside
Stockholm. Today, AbSorber has one commercial product, a standardized
transplantation test XM-ONE®, which is used to evaluate organ transplantation
risk. AbSorber has entered into a global sales agreement with BD for XM-ONE®. 

LinkMed's ownership stake in AbSorber is 42.1 percent.


For additional information contact: 
Ingemar Lagerlöf, CEO LinkMed, tel +46 8 508 939 93




LinkMed develops life-science companies in collaboration with innovators. By
contributing entrepreneurship and capital, LinkMed has created a portfolio of
twelve companies, six in drug development and biotechnology and six in medical
technology. The LinkMed share is listed on the OMX Nordic Exchange Stockholm and
the company's largest partners are FastPartner, Koncentra Holding and the
founder Ingemar Lagerlöf. See www.linkmed.se for more information.