RNS Number:2231T
Cambridge Antibody Tech Group PLC
30 October 2000



For Further Information Contact:

Cambridge Antibody Technology 
Tel: +44 (0) 1763 263233
John Aston, Finance Director
Rowena Gardner, Head of Corporate Communications       

HCC De Facto (Europe)
Tel: +44 (0) 20  7496 3300
Nikul Odedra (trade)
Sue Charles (city/financial)

Human Genome Sciences
Tel: 001 301 309 8504
Arthur M. Mandell, Senior Vice President, Corporate and 
    Business Development
Kate de Santis, Director, Corporate Communications 
    and Investor Relations       

BMC Communications/The Trout Group (USA)
Tel: 001 212 477 9007
Brad Miles, ext 17 (media)
Jonathan Fassberg, ext.16 (investors)

CAMBRIDGE ANTIBODY TECHNOLOGY AND 
HUMAN GENOME SCIENCES COMMIT TO EXCLUSIVE 
DEVELOPMENT OF ANTI-BLYS ANTIBODIES


MELBOURN, UK and ROCKVILLE, Maryland, USA Cambridge Antibody Technology  (LSE:
CAT) and Human Genome Sciences (NASDAQ: HGSI) today announced that HGS has
exercised an option to enter into an exclusive development partnership on the
target B-Lymphocyte Stimulator, also known as BLyS, a protein discovered by
HGS.

BLyS is a naturally occurring protein that stimulates the production of
antibodies, the body's first line of defence against infection. The discovery
and preliminary description of BLyS' activity was announced by HGS in July
1999.  Subsequent laboratory studies have indicated that higher than normal
blood levels of BLyS may play a crucial role in several autoimmune and
neoplastic disorders.  The use of an antibody to BLyS may block the effects
seen in the patients who produce a higher than normal level of BLyS. 

Under an agreement signed in August 1999 by the two companies, BLyS was the
first human protein target studied by the collaboration team.  This agreement
was later supplemented in March 2000 with a broad collaboration and product
development alliance.  HGS and CAT have worked closely to isolate over 10,000
antibody clones specific to BLyS and to characterise more than 1,000 distinct
human antibodies. By using high-throughput functional screening of these
antibody leads, these clinical candidates have been produced and studied in
record time.  At the present time, HGS plans to select one of these candidates
in order to initiate clinical trials next year.

Under the terms of this exclusive development agreement, CAT will be entitled
to receive an up front fee and will potentially receive clinical development
milestones and royalties on product sales from HGS.  Financial details were
not disclosed.

Dr. David Chiswell, CEO of CAT, commented, "We are delighted with the rapid
initial success of our collaborative alliance with HGS. Together we have
demonstrated that two companies committed to fully human antibody drug
development can rapidly create new drugs. Our collaboration reflects a shared
philosophy that high throughput functional screening is the most successful
way to identify antibody-based drugs directed to genomics-derived targets. 
The combined approach of phage display library selection and functional
screening of leads, both in high throughput, maximises the likelihood of
successfully isolating an antibody drug candidate, in marked contrast to the
generation of antibodies by immunisation.  The success of the BLyS program,
and the decision by HGS to commit to us as their exclusive partner for BLyS
antibodies so soon, is a strong endorsement of CAT's integrated technology
approach."

William A. Haseltine, PhD, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Human
Genome Sciences said, "We are fortunate to have strong working relationships
with our collaborators.  We are very pleased that this collaboration has
produced several antibody drug candidates, that may be useful to patients
suffering from autoimmune disorders and B cell lymphomas, so quickly."  


Notes to Editors:

Cambridge Antibody Technology (LSE:CAT) 
CAT is a UK biotechnology company using its proprietary technologies in fully
human monoclonal antibodies for drug discovery and drug development.  Based in
Melbourn, 10 miles south of Cambridge, England, CAT currently employs around
180 people.  
CAT is listed on the London Stock Exchange, having raised #41m in its IPO in
March 1997. A secondary offering in March 2000 raised #93m.  
CAT has a world-leading platform technology for rapidly isolating fully human
monoclonal antibodies using phage display systems.  CAT has an extensive phage
display antibody library, currently incorporating around 100 billion distinct
antibodies. This library forms the basis for the company's strategy to develop
a portfolio of clinical development programs and for discovering new drug
leads using functional genomics.  Four fully human therapeutic antibodies
developed by CAT are at various stages of clinical trials.  
CAT has a number of license and collaborative agreements in place with
pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies including: AstraZeneca, BASF
Pharma, Eli Lilly, Genentech, Genetics Institute, Genzyme General, Human
Genome Sciences, ICOS Corporation, Oxford GlycoSciences, Pharmacia
Corporation, Pfizer, Wyeth-Ayerst.


Human Genome Sciences
Human Genome Sciences is a company with the mission to treat and cure disease
by bringing new gene-based drugs to patients.
HGS and Human Genome Sciences are registered trademarks of Human Genome
Sciences, Inc.

Neoplastic: Cancerous in nature.

Autoimmune disorder: A disease arising when the immune system mistakenly
recognises the body's own tissue as foreign and attacks it. 

BLyS
BLyS stimulates immune system cells called B cells to mature into plasma B
cells, which produce antibodies. Plasma B cells, and the antibodies they
produce, constitute a critical part of the body's defence against infections
and cancer.  

The discovery of BLyS may lead to therapies for several diseases that involve
B cells, including immune deficiencies, autoimmune disease and B cell tumours.
 HGS's drug development teams are advancing several therapeutic concepts based
on the discovery of BLyS: BLyS therapeutic protein, anti-BLyS and radiolabeled
BLyS. 

BLyS is made by immune-cells called monocytes and macrophages. When monocytes
and macrophages are activated, BLyS is released and binds to a receptor found
only on B cells.  B cells arise from stem cells that do not themselves produce
antibodies. When BLyS binds to its receptor on B cells, they mature into
antibody-secreting plasma B cells. As a result, the number of antibodies in
the patient's plasma increases.

When antibodies recognise foreign molecules, immune-cells target the molecules
for destruction. Without plasma B cells and antibodies, the body is largely
unprotected against pathogens, and infectious diseases may follow.
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