Media Release

Basel, 25 May 2010

Roche, the University of Basel and the University Hospital Basel establish a new research hub for translational medicine

Academic-industry partnership seeks to propel progress in translational medicine and personalised healthcare

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY), the University of Basel and University Hospital Basel announced today that they are entering a strategic alliance to establish and manage a Translational Medicine Research Hub. The Hub seeks to advance understanding of the cellular mechanisms that form the basis of disease and its treatment by bringing together medically oriented basic science and clinical research capabilities.

The alliance is broad in scope, with programs in the field of Central Nervous System, Metabolic diseases and Oncology as well as in research disciplines that span various disease areas. Under the guidance of a joint steering committee comprised of senior-level members from the University of Basel, the University Hospital and Roche, the three-way partnership is set to grow based on this firm foundation. Direct interaction between scientists and clinicians will assist the committee in identifying new scientific fields of common interest and suggesting possible future collaborations.

“The University of Basel and University Hospital are renowned for scientific excellence and leading translational medicine facilities,” said Roche’s Jean-Jacques Garaud, Global Head of Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED). “There is huge potential for this partnership to generate novel scientific expertise and intellectual property in both therapeutic and diagnostic research and development.”

“With its powerful combination of intellectual and technological capabilities, the Basel Translational Medicine Hub has the potential to set new standards in developing strategies for drug development and driving personalised healthcare,” said Professor Peter J. Meier-Abt, Rector for Research and Talent Promotion at the University of Basel. “This collaboration is an important public-private partnership, extending the research scope for our historic University, which is celebrating its 550th anniversary this year.”

“We are convinced that this collaboration has tremendous promise and are proud to partner with Roche in this endeavour,” said Professor Jürg Schifferli from University Hospital.

While numerous individual collaborations already exist between Roche and the University and the University Hospital, the signing of a master agreement heralds a new era of more intense strategic collaboration and is set to enhance intellectual exchange between researchers. The alliance also includes a number of Roche Post Doc Fellowships.

“This alliance will simplify dialogue between mutually interested groups and create a framework that allows researchers to concentrate on science,” explained Andreas Wallnoefer, Head of pRED Development at Roche. “We will continue to foster strategic collaborations with leading academic centers across the globe through tailored approaches as with the recently founded research hub for translational medicine in Singapore.”

Roche spends approximately a fourth of its global Research and Development (R&D) expenditure in Switzerland, which was about 1.9 billion CHF in 2009. With this investment, Roche accounts for one in every 11 Swiss francs spent for R&D in Switzerland making the company one of the top three healthcare research organisations in the country. More than 3,000 R&D employees work at various research sites in Switzerland with a focus on Basel where the global research functions for the fields of central nervous system and metabolic disorders are located.

(Translational medicine describes the interplay between basic laboratory science and exploratory clinical research. It encompasses preclinical investigations of the biological effects of therapeutics as well as clinical investigations aimed at enhanced understanding of disease biology. Together these provide the scientific foundation for development of new or improved therapies.)

About the University of Basel

Founded in 1460, the University of Basel is the oldest in Switzerland. Celebrating its 550th anniversary this year, the university has about 12’000 students in seven faculties: science, humanities, medicine, economics, law, theology and psychology. Download The main focuses are life sciences and cultural studies where it contributes to world class level teaching and research. According to the Shanghai ranking in the field of life sciences, it belongs to the top ten universities in Europe and to the top fifty worldwide. Best known in this field are its department of Biomedicine of the medical faculty and the Biozentrum of the science faculty.

About the University Hospital

The University Hospital Basel is part of the public health system of Switzerland and is therefore acting with the outstanding quality that the Swiss health care system has been able to achieve. It is a multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education, and is characterized by continuous innovation. More than 700 physicians in 42 clinics are at the patient’s disposal for medical consultations and treatment.

About Roche

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is a leader in research-focused healthcare with combined strengths in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Roche is the world’s largest biotech company with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, virology, inflammation, metabolism and CNS. Roche is also the world leader in in-vitro diagnostics, tissue-based cancer diagnostics and a pioneer in diabetes management. Roche’s personalised healthcare strategy aims at providing medicines and diagnostic tools that enable tangible improvements in the health, quality of life and survival of patients. In 2009, Roche had over 80’000 employees worldwide and invested almost 10 billion Swiss francs in R&D. The Group posted sales of 49.1 billion Swiss francs. Genentech, United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche has a majority stake in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information: www.roche.com.

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