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Dow AgroSciences and InterLink Associates announce research agreement
Indianapolis, Indiana and Princeton, New Jersey
June 8, 1999

Dow AgroSciences LLC and InterLink Associates Inc. today announced a 5 year exclusive research agreement that should lead to the discovery and commercial development of novel insect-resistance and disease-resistance genes for crop improvement.

Under the terms of the agreement, InterLink Associates will provide Dow AgroSciences each year with a large number of microbial based samples from a customized microbial isolation program. The microbial based samples will be tested for insecticidal and antimicrobial activity at Dow AgroSciences, where gene cloning and crop transformation are also performed.

"We believe that key, integrated collaborations with companies like InterLink will greatly complement our internal discovery programs toward the identification of novel genes for transgenic product development,'' said Jim Petell, Global Leader for Input Agriculture Gene Discovery in Plant Genetics and Biotechnology R&D. "The key elements for being successful in our Biotechnology discovery process has been the access to rich supplies of diverse genes together with our unique, proprietary screening program. In our past collaborations, InterLink has provided us with very high quality and diverse populations of microbial samples for our discovery programs''

"We are pleased to expand and extend our previous interactions with Dow AgroSciences and
assist them in their efforts to discover new genes to improve the insect resistance and disease
resistance of crops,'' said Nicholas Everett, InterLink's Vice President. "Over the last few years
InterLink has developed unique resources to access microbial diversity and provide novel genes
and natural products for a variety of industries. We consider this agreement with Dow
AgroSciences, a leading agricultural products company, as further evidence of the continued
importance of microbial genetic diversity in multi-faceted biotechnology research programs.''

Dow AgroSciences LLC, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, is a global leader in providing pest
management and biotechnology products that improve the quality and quantity of the earth's
food supply and contribute to the safety, health and quality of life of the world's growing population. The company employs more than 3,000 people in over 50 countries and has worldwide sales of more than $2 billion. Dow AgroSciences is a wholly-owned subsidiary of
The Dow Chemical Company.

InterLink Associates Inc., based in Princeton, New Jersey and with research laboratories in
Auburn, CA, is a unique biotechnology research and technology transfer company with a core
focus on the use of microbial diversity to provide leads for new drugs, antimicrobials, enzymes,
and various genes for crop improvement. The company specializes in helping its clients to
identify new commercial opportunities for biotechnology and provides cost-effective solutions to
applied problems.

Company news release
N1853

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