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Avesthagen and TNO Sign Letter of Intent to Collaborate in Nutrigenomics

LEIDEN, Netherlands, Oct. 23, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Avestha Gengraine Technologies Pvt. Ltd. of Bangalore, India, and TNO of the Netherlands have agreed to develop a collaboration to join forces in developing new strategies to combat the worldwide growth of obesity and related disorders. In the joint effort, longstanding knowledge from traditional Indian medicine and state-of-the-art genomic research will be integrated into a strategic collaboration aimed at finding new plant-derived bioactives that manage and counteract development of overweight and associated later-stage disease development.

The Letter of Intent was signed today on the occasion of the visit to Avesthagen of a high level Dutch Business Mission presently touring India. The LOI was signed by Avesthagen's CEO and Founder Dr. Villoo Morawala-Patell and Dr. Kees Ekkers, Director of TNO Quality of Life and counter-signed as witness by the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, Laurens Jan Brinkhorst, who is heading the Dutch Business Delegation. In the envisaged collaboration, both parties intend to combine the best of two worlds, harnessing a wealth of knowledge from India's rich history in traditional plant-based medicine by using modern genomics-based research to unravel complex molecular networks in the human body. The collaboration therefore is expected to yield new insights in managing metabolic syndrome, diabetes, obesity and cardio-vascular diseases, threatening many societies, at an early stage by developing new dietary solutions.

TNO and Avesthagen are excited about the perspectives of the collaboration. Kees Ekkers praises Avesthagen's strong technology and business model by combining a solid foundation into India's traditional medicine, having access to bioactive plant extracts, with expertise in modern plant genetic technologies and a highly entrepreneurial corporate management. This strategy has led to establishing a global network of partnerships with front-runners in different markets within its first five years. Villoo Morawala-Patell acknowledges TNO's international reputation in nutritional research. "TNO has developed several very important human disease models in animals. They also have a unique dynamic model for kinetic studies in digestive physiology and a strong expertise in nutrigenomics research which is also expressed by TNO's coordinating role in the multimillion euro EU project on Human Nutrigenomics."

Avestha Gengraine Technologies Pvt Ltd is India's leading Healthcare Technology Group focused on the convergence between food and pharmaceuticals and the development of preventive and potentially personalised medicine.

TNO is the largest science and technology organisation in the Netherlands, carrying out contract research for companies, government bodies and public organizations and employing about 5,000 people. TNO develops knowledge for important national and international market clusters such as 'Agriculture and Nutrition' and 'Chemistry' and 'Pharmaceutics'.

The press release can be downloaded from the following link: http://hugin.info/135977/R/1017270/159359.pdf

CONTACT:  Avesthagen
          Manan Bhatt, Head, Communications
          Tel: +91 80 2841 2308, Fax: +91 80 2841 8780 
          info@avesthagen.com, manan@avesthagen.com
          www.avesthagen.com

          TNO Quality of Life
          Roelof Jan Vink, Communication Manager
          Phone : +31 15 269 66 08 Fax: +31 15 269 77 86
          info-kvl@tno.nl, roelof-jan.vink@tno.nl
          www.tno.nl