Rhône-Poulenc Rorer Acquires Applied Immune Sciences

COLLEGEVILLE, PA--Rhône-Poulenc Rorer Inc. and Applied ImmuneSciences, Inc. (AIS) have entered into a definitive agreementand plan of merger providing for the acquisition by Rhône-PoulencRorer (through its subsidiary RPR Gencell) of AIS at a price ofapproximately $7.2 million.

AIS is a leader in cell therapy. At the heart of AIS' technologyis a patented device, the AIS CELLector, that isolates specificpopulations of a patient's cells from blood, bone marrow, or tissuesamples, The cells may then be activated and numerically expandedprior to reinfusion.

The AIS research facility in Santa Clara, Calif, will become theprimary US operating headquarters for RPR Gencell with a focuson the development of ex vivo gene and cell therapy approaches,said Thierry Soursac, MD, PhD, senior vice president, RPR, andgeneral manager, RPR Gencell.