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Sage Bionetworks Announces Integrative Genomics Research Program with Merck & Co., Inc.

SEATTLE, WA, March 30, 2010 – Sage Bionetworks announced today a multi-year collaboration to integrate large molecular and clinical datasets related to metabolic and cardiovascular disease. Sage and Merck will collaborate to create network-based computational models of disease that will contribute to Merck’s drug development strategy.

“We are excited about beginning this new phase of our relationship with Merck,” said Dr. Stephen Friend, President of Sage Bionetworks. "The projects will build upon the progress already made through the application of these technologies by Merck and allow the further development of innovative and effective disease models through the broader Sage Bionetworks platform.”

“The integrated genomics technology developed at Rosetta and refined at Merck has already provided critical information to better inform drug discovery efforts in diabetes,” said Luciano Rossetti MD, Senior Vice President Global Scientific Strategy, Merck Research Laboratories. “Collaborations with innovative organizations such as Sage are an integral part of our drug development strategy."

A novel aspect of the partnership is that the Merck data, analysis and computational models of disease will be made publicly available through the Sage Commons one year following the conclusion of the collaboration.

“This represents a win for Merck and a win for the research community,” noted Dr. Friend. “Merck will be able to leverage data and resources from Sage’s entire portfolio while the expanded information ultimately available via Sage Commons will empower academic and commercial researchers.”

Dr. Friend added, “This program represents the next chapter in drug development business models where genomics becomes a pre-competitive resource and the intellectual property focus is on therapeutics.”

Merck will provide financial support for the collaboration in addition to the dataset and computational resources it has already provided to Sage. Sage Bionetworks, which is located on the campus of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, will continue to expand its Seattle team as a result of the agreement.

About Sage Bionetworks

Sage Bionetworks is a nonprofit medical research organization established in 2009 to revolutionize how researchers approach the complexity of human biological information and the treatment of disease. Sage and its academic and commercial partners employ multiple comprehensive molecular and clinical datasets to create validated disease models that improve the speed and efficiency of therapeutic drug development. Sage’s vision is to create an open access, integrative bionetwork evolved by contributor scientists working to eliminate human disease. For more information visit: www.sagebase.org.

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