The Tecan Group (SIX Swiss Exchange: TECN) and Attana AB today announced that they have signed an exclusive distributor agreement under which Tecan will distribute Attana's biosensor instruments and assay technology in North America. The agreement covers the Attana 100, 200 and Cell 200 instruments along with biosensors and accompanying assay reagents as well as service and support. The distribution agreement leverages Tecan's sales, service and applications capabilities in North America with Attana's biosensor technology that allows in-depth analyses of molecular interactions in a wide variety of research applications.

Thomas Bachmann, CEO of Tecan, said: "We are delighted that we have been able to partner with Attana on such an exciting label free biosensor detection technology. This agreement allows us to offer our North American customers another dimension of information in their scientific disciplines. It is part of our strategy to leverage our own sales organization for innovative third party products that complement the broad product portfolio of our Life Sciences Business."

"We are pleased to have reached an agreement with such a well established and innovative company", says Teodor Aastrup, CEO and founder of Attana. "We are confident that this collaboration will be beneficiary to the biopharmaceutical and academic society as a more comprehensive product portfolio will be offered to both Tecan's and Attana's customers. Tecan has a strong position on the North American market and will reach even further with Attana's biosensor technologies."

Tecan and Attana will be officially launching their collaboration today at the CHI-PepTalk Conference in San Diego, USA.

About Tecan
Tecan (www.tecan.com) is a leading global provider of laboratory instruments and solutions in biopharmaceuticals, forensics, and clinical diagnostics. The company specializes in the development, production and distribution of instruments and automated workflow solutions for laboratories in the life sciences sector. Its clients include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, university research departments, forensic and diagnostic laboratories. As an original equipment manufacturer, Tecan is also a leader in developing and manufacturing OEM instruments and components that are then distributed by partner companies. Founded in Switzerland in 1980, the company has manufacturing, research and development sites in both Europe and North America and maintains a sales and service network in 52 countries. In 2009, Tecan generated sales of CHF 392 million (USD 361.2 million; EUR 259.6 million). Registered shares of Tecan Group are traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange (TK: TECN/Reuters: TECZn.S/ ISIN CH0012100191).

About Attana AB
Founded in 2002, based in Stockholm, Sweden, Attana AB develops biosensors for the pharmaceutical, diagnostic and academic society worldwide. With a strong focus on characterizing molecular interactions exactly as they occur in the human body, Attana is committed to increasing the success during clinical trials by providing the life science community with biologically relevant information.

Attana's biosensors can be used to determine specificity, kinetics and affinity, amongst other binding characteristics of biomolecules and macrostructures of varying species such as cells, antibodies, proteins, viruses and bacteria.