Grant Awarded

Oxford Biomedica PLC
17 December 2002


17 December 2002


                 OXFORD BIOMEDICA PLC AWARDED $0.5 MILLION GRANT
                       FOR MOTOR NEURON DISEASE PROGRAMME


Oxford, UK 17 December 2002 - Oxford BioMedica Plc (LSE: OXB) announced today
that it has been awarded a grant of $0.5 million to support its motor neuron
disease (MND) programme. The grant comes from the USA charity Andrew's Buddies/
FightSMA, which is dedicated to the development of treatments for Spinal
Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a form of motor neuron disease that is one of the most
common causes of death in childhood.

SMA is caused by a defect in the SMN-1 gene. It affects 1 in every 6,000 births
and 1 in 40 people are carriers. The defect leads to a degeneration of motor
neurons in the spinal cord with concomitant systemic loss of muscle function. In
the most severe form of the disease, weakness of the respiratory muscles results
in death usually before the age of two years. The product strategy is to replace
the defective gene using the Company's proprietary LentiVector(R) carrying the
SMN-1 gene. Oxford BioMedica retains all commercial rights arising from the
grant-funded programme and the Company anticipates having a clinical stage
product within two years

The SMA product is part of Oxford BioMedica's motor neuron disease programme
that also includes the development candidate MoNuDin TM for the most common form
of MND, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS has an estimated market of $200
million. Both products use Oxford BioMedica's proprietary LentiVector(R) gene
delivery technology and are at the preclinical stage of development. At present
there are no products that make a major impact on these devastating diseases.

'We are delighted to fund this ground-breaking initiative. The work of Oxford
BioMedica breathes new hope into the lives of countless parents and their
children who suffer with SMA.' said Martha Slay, president of Andrew's Buddies/
FightSMA.



Commenting on the grant from Andrew's Buddies/FightSMA, Oxford BioMedica's Chief
Executive, Professor Alan Kingsman said;

'The development of novel products for neurological disease is the largest
growth area in pharmaceutical research. Oxford BioMedica has an exceptional
capability in this area and is developing a pipeline of products of which the
lead is ProSavin(R) for Parkinson's disease. We are delighted that Andrew's
Buddies/FightSMA have recognised the quality of our technology and we look
forward to working together towards an effective treatment for this inherited
disease that brings so much sorrow to afflicted families'.



                                     -Ends-


For further information, please contact:
Oxford BioMedica plc
Professor Alan Kingsman, Chief Executive               Tel: [phone]
City/Financial Enquiries:

Mike Wort, James Chandler: Beattie Financial           Tel: [phone]
Scientific/Trade Press Enquiries:

Sue Charles, Katja Stout: Charles Consultants          Tel: [phone]





Notes to Editors



Oxford BioMedica plc

Established in 1995 as a spin out from Oxford University, Oxford BioMedica is an
international biotechnology company with a diverse portfolio of products and
technology, specialising in gene-based products and technology in the areas of
cancer, neurological disease, cardiovascular disease and blood disorders. This
is underpinned by over 70 patent families, about quarter of which are issued.
Oxford BioMedica plc was floated on the Alternative Investment Market of the
London Stock Exchange in December 1996, and was promoted to the United Kingdom
Listing Authority Official List in April 2001 following a successful £35.5
million fund-raising.



Oxford BioMedica is headquartered in Oxford, UK and has a wholly-owned
subsidiary in San Diego, USA.



Currently Oxford BioMedica has corporate collaborations with Amersham, Arius,
Aventis, IDM,  Valentis, Virbac and Wyeth. BioMedica has two products in Phase I
/II clinical trials: MetXia(R) for late-stage breast cancer, and TroVax(R) for
late-stage colorectal cancer.





World Wide Web

Further information is available on the World Wide Web at http://
www.oxfordbiomedica.co.uk


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