AbSorber's test identifies patients with increased risk for kidney transplant rejection

Press release
August 18, 2008


AbSorber's test identifies patients with increased risk for kidney transplant
rejection

LinkMed's portfolio company AbSorber recently received FDA approval in the U.S.
for its patented transplantation test XM-ONE®. Now AbSorber has received further
support for its transplantation test from a major clinical trial in which six
well-reputed transplantation centers in the U.S. and Sweden participated. The
results of the study show that XM-ONE® provides valuable information that
refines the diagnostics of matching the right organ with the right patient,
thereby increasing the probability of a successful transplantation. 

Following recent FDA approval, XM-ONE® has received yet another positive
breakthrough - this time the results of major clinical trials in which four U.S.
and two Swedish well-reputed transplantation centers participated. The study was
presented on August 14 at the global transplantation congress in Sydney by
Professor Andrea Zachary, a renowned expert in the transplantation area, at John
Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore.

“The study demonstrates and confirms an increased frequency of rejection
reactions among patients who test positive with XM-ONE®, even in cases where
conventional lymphocyte cross-match tests are unsuccessful in detecting
donor-specific antibodies. Prior to now, we have not been able to be sure that
we could detect these important non-HLA anti-bodies” says Professor Zachary.

“The study shows that we now, with XM-One, easily can get access to donor cells
that allow detection of non-HLA anti-bodies. This in turn, improves
donor-recipient pairing and kidney transplantation outcome”, adds Professor
Andrea Zachary.

From June 2005 to October 2006, a total of 195 patients were screened of which
147 patients met inclusion criteria and were therewith evaluated in the XM-ONE®
clinical trials. Patients participating in the trials were from the Sahlgrenska
University Hospital in Gothenburg, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
in Baltimore, Ohio State University in Columbus, Massachusetts General Hospital
in Boston, Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas and the Karolinska
University Hospital in Huddinge.

“The study is a first step in building up a scientific knowledge base about and
clinical acceptance of XM-ONE®. The work has awakened great scientific interest
and several other transplantation centers want to conduct their own independent
trials with XM-ONE®,” said associate professor Jan Holgersson, doctor and
researcher at the Karolinska University Hospital and founder of AbSorber.

“XM-ONE® provides key, previously unattainable, information about
donor/recipient compatibility that increases the probability of a successful
transplantation. XM-ONE® opens up completely new possibilities for detecting
antibodies that we previously were unable to identify,” continued Mr.
Holgersson. 

“Using XM-ONE®, we can now identify the extent of clinical problems related to
anti-endothelium cell antibodies in patients undergoing transplantations,”
concludes Mr. Holgersson.


For more information:
Anders Karlsson, CEO AbSorber, tel: + 46 70 918 00 10
Ingemar Lagerlöf, CEO LinkMed, tel: +46 8 508 939 93
Also visit www.absorber.se and www.linkmed.se



AbSorber develops products that facilitate more successful transplantations.
AbSorber's first product, the transplantation test XM-ONE®, detects key
antibodies responsible for post-transplantation rejection reactions. XM-ONE® is
already CE marked and FDA approved for sales in the EU and U.S. 


LinkMed, in collaboration with innovators, develops life science companies. By
contributing entrepreneurship and capital, LinkMed has created a portfolio of
twelve companies, six in biotechnology and six in medical technology. The
company's principal owners are FastPartner, Koncentra Holding, and the founder
Ingemar Lagerlöf. The LinkMed share is listed on the OMX Nordic Exchange
Stockholm in the small-cap sector (ticker:LMED).