Aresa has achieved to get permission from the Serbian authorities to plant transgenic tobacco for the detection of explosives

First North announcement # 10, 2008

Copenhagen, May 16, 2008


Aresa has achieved to get permission from the Serbian authorities to plant
transgenic tobacco for the detection of explosives 

It is the second time in two attempts that Aresa has achieved to get permission
to plant transgenic plants in Serbia. This time the permission is related to
the recently transformed RedDetect® version in the tobacco plant. 

”I am very delighted that we receive the permission now, as it means we can
continue our plans of sowing our genetically modified tobacco for the detection
of explosives from land mines in Serbia this summer”, says Steen Thaarup, CEO
of Aresa, and continues: 

”We  have now achieved two of the four objectives we set up for 2008, and we
still expect to be able to report a successful color change in tobacco after
growth in soil with explosives by the end of 2008”. 

The first objective achieved in Q1 was the successful transfer of the
RedDetect® technology into tobacco, and the second is this permission from
Serbia. 

It is still part of the objectives to establish a winter test area in a
subtropical or tropical area to have a longer growth period for the tobacco
plants enabling more results in 2008. 

The content of this message is not expected to have impact on the result for the
current financial year.

For more information, please contact 

Steen Thaarup
CEO

Phone: +45 7022 7747
Mobile: +45 4077 8695
E-mail: st@aresa.dk

The company's financial advisor is Dahl-Sørensen & Partners A/S, Allan Reimann,
tel.: +45 3364 9205. 


About Aresa
Aresa is a plant biotech company established in 2001 by the company's current
CSO, Carsten Meier. It originates from the Institute of Molecular Biology at
Copenhagen University. 

Aresa focuses on the plant-based technology platform: BioSensor for the
detection of substances in soil, including leakage of explosives from
landmines. 

Aresa shares are traded at the Nasdaq/OMX-First North stock exchange since the
introduction in 2006. Aresa is based at Symbion Science Park in Copenhagen and
has greenhouse facilities on the outskirts of Copenhagen and test sites in
Denmark, Croatia, and Serbia. Aresa has 11 employees, 7 in research &
development and 2 in landmine operations.