Worm.com

BitDefender researchers have identified
a new wave of spam messages that announce an alleged attack of the US Army
against Iran in order to trick users into downloading and installing
malicious software onto their personal computers.

The webpage hosting the piece of malware — dailydotnews.com — is a
simple, yet efficiently designed site with a top banner, a simple picture
masquerading a YouTube player and three lines of text detailing the US
operation in Iran. This spam approach is used on large scale as the spammer
relies on a catchy heading and a link to the piece of malware in order to
fuel users’ curiosity and trick them into downloading the piece of malware.

“The new spam wave relies on computer users’ curiosity regarding the
conflict between the United States and Iran. Users are redirected to a fake
news website, where they are shown a larger, inciting description
accompanied by a movie player,” said Andra Miloiu, BitDefender Spam
Analyst. “However, the alleged flash movie is an image depicting a movie
player; when clicked, the image gives users a ‘Save image as’ option.”

Upon clicking on either the “movie” or the top banner, the user starts the
download process of a binary piece of malware, called
“iran_occupation.exe.” The file contains the same malicious code infecting
the user with the Storm Worm. The authors have used timing as their
advantage, as the recent tensions in the Middle East between the US and
Iran have been escalating.

On the social side, the spam wave is targeting the increasingly worried US
citizens looking for fresh news on Iran threatening to burn Tel Aviv down
in response to possible US attacks on its nuclear facilities.

The BitDefender antivirus is currently filtering and detecting that both
the spam message and the malicious code, “iran_occupation.exe” binary, are
infected with Trojan.Peed.PM.

About BitDefender®

BitDefender is the creator of one of the industry’s fastest and most
effective lines of internationally certified security software . Since our inception in 2001,
BitDefender has continued to raise the bar and set new standards in
proactive threat prevention. Every day, BitDefender protects tens of
millions of home and corporate users across the globe — giving them the
peace of mind of knowing that their digital experiences will be secure.
BitDefender solutions are distributed by a global network of value-added
distribution and reseller partners in more than 100 countries worldwide.
More information is available on our security solutions ‘ site.

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- The  German  Federal Ministry  for  Education and  Research  (BMBF)
awards GENEART a grant of approximately EUR 0.2M
- This grant supports advancements in targeted protein design
- The objective of the project is the development of a novel  vaccine
technology
-  The  project  is  coordinated  by  the  Dutch  Company   Crossbeta
Biosciences

Regensburg, July 10, 2008 - GENEART AG, the global leader in gene
synthesis and specialist in the field of Synthetic Biology,
participates in a joint project to develop a novel vaccine technology
by designing a vaccine against the H5N1 avian influenza virus as a
test case. GENEART receives a quarter of the total public project
funding of about EUR 0.8M. The project offers GENEART another
opportunity to advance the company’s expertise in the conceptual
design of safe and effective vaccines. Moreover, the project also
feeds into the company’s rapidly advancing work on the targeted
design of proteins.

The project entitled “Crossbeta Adjuvation of the H5 Subunit Vaccine
against the Influenza Virus H5N1: A new Technology for aquiring an
Unmet Need” is part of the EuroTransBio Initiative (ETB) and is
coordinated by the Dutch company Crossbeta Biosciences. The objective
is the development of novel vaccine technologies based on certain
misfoldings in proteins, called crossbeta structures. In the past,
various studies have shown that these crossbeta structures boost
desired immune responses. Crossbeta structures help the immune system
to recognize viral proteins as antigens, and therefore are properly
suited for the use as immune stimulators (immunological adjuvants).
Already today, many vaccines contain adjuvants to boost the immune
response in a vaccinated person. So far, however, the available
choices of adjuvants for human vaccinations are very limited. The
project partners will develop a technique for the general use of
crossbeta structures in protein-based vaccine strategies.

Aside from optimizing the gene sequences using the proprietary
GENEART GeneOptimizer® technology for the efficient production of the
vaccine, GENEART will also use an iterative process to optimize the
design of the desired protein antigen. The objective is the
production of an antigen that shows the optimal crossbeta structure
for the desired immune response.

Professor Dr. Ralf Wagner, CEO of the GENEART AG, comments: “This
project supports our activities in the area of targeted protein
design. Today, we are the global leaders in the design of customized
genes. In the medium term, we plan to extend our business and
leadership role by offering the design of customized proteins as
well. This does not only complement our current services but also
adds additional value for our customers, for example in the
pharmaceutical industry.”

Further scientific information is available under www.crossbeta.com

For further inquiries, please contact:

Bernd Merkl
GENEART AG
Josef-Engert-Str. 11
93053 Regensburg
Germany
Phone: +49-(0)941-942 76-638
Fax: +49-(0)941-942 76-711
 ir@geneart.com
 www.geneart.com 

Frank Ostermair
Better Orange IR & HV AG
Haidelweg 48
81241 Munich
Germany
Phone: +49-(0)89-8896906-10
Fax: +49-(0)89-8896906-66
 info@better-orange.de
 www.better-orange.de

Legal Information

This document may contain estimates, prognoses and opinions about
company plans and objectives, products or services, future results,
opinions about these results or opinions leading up to these results.
All these projections into the future are subject to risk,
uncertainty and unforeseeable change outside the control of the
GENEART Group. Many factors may lead to actual results, which
considerably deviate from the given projections for these results.

About GENEART AG

In 2000, GENEART entered the gene synthesis market and has since
become the global market leader. Today, the company is one of the
leading specialists in the Synthetic Biology field. Experts at
GENEART provide key technologies for the development and production
of new therapeutics and vaccines. Customers also take advantage of
GENEART services to customize enzyme attributes, such as the
attributes of enzymes used as detergent additives, and to construct
bacteria, which produce complex biopolymers or break down polymers,
such as synthetics, petroleum components, etc. Our production and
service spectrum spans a wide range, from the production of synthetic
genes according to DIN EN ISO 9001-2000, to the creation of gene
libraries in the combinatorial biology, to the development and
production of DNA-based biologically active substances. The GENEART
AG in Regensburg (Germany) and the subsidiary GENEART Inc. in Toronto
(Canada) employ more than 190 people. Since May 2006, GENEART is
listed on the German Stock Exchange.

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Targeted Genetics Corporation (NASDAQ: TGEN)
announced today that the Department of Defense Amyotrophic Lateral
Sclerosis Research Program of the Office of the Congressionally Directed
Medical Research Programs has recommended grant funding to Targeted
Genetics of up to $2.4 million, to be applied towards preclinical
development of new therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Targeted Genetics plans to develop a small-molecule for an investigational
new drug (IND) submission. This is based on the observations, by Targeted
Genetics collaborator Dr. John Engelhardt at the University of Iowa, that
genetic mutations known to be associated with ALS, lead to over-activation
of NADPH oxidase which is associated with pathogenesis of ALS. The work
proposed under this grant includes formulation development and preclinical
pharmacokinetic and safety studies.

“Our candidate product has shown a potential to delay the onset and
progression of disease in animal models of ALS and, if this ability
translates to human subjects, the molecule could have a dramatic impact on
survival and quality of life,” said Principal Investigator, Barrie J.
Carter, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of
Targeted Genetics.

Grant funding is subject to Targeted Genetics completing documentation and
negotiations typical for government contract award processes.

About Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s
disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting neurons in
the brain and spinal cord. The degeneration of these motor neurons limits
communication from the brain and spinal cord to muscle fibers throughout
the body, leading to the inability of the brain to initiate and control
muscle movement. Early symptoms of ALS often include muscle weakness,
resulting in loss of control in arms and legs, speech, swallowing or
breathing. There is no cure for ALS.

About Targeted Genetics Corporation

Targeted Genetics Corporation is a biotechnology company committed to the
development of innovative targeted molecular therapies for the prevention
and treatment of acquired and inherited diseases with significant unmet
medical need. Targeted Genetics’ proprietary Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV)
technology platform allows it to deliver genes that encode proteins to
increase gene function or RNAi to decrease or silence gene function.
Targeted Genetics’ product development efforts target inflammatory
arthritis, AIDS prophylaxis, Leber’s congenital amaurosis, congestive heart
failure and Huntington’s disease. To learn more about Targeted Genetics,
visit Targeted Genetics’ website at http://www.targetedgenetics.com .

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995:

This release contains forward-looking statements regarding the Company’s
business strategy and product development, including statements regarding
the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research program, our ability to
obtain the grant funding for the ALS research program, the potential impact
of the ALS research program on our results of operations and other
statements about the Company’s plans, objectives, intentions and
expectations. These statements involve current expectations, forecasts of
future events and other statements that are not historical facts.
Inaccurate assumptions and known and unknown risks and uncertainties can
affect the accuracy of forward-looking statements. Factors that could
affect actual future events or results include, but are not limited to, the
Company’s ability to obtain the grant funding for the ALS research
program, payments anticipated by the Company under product development
collaborations and contracts, the Company’s actual expenses, the Company’s
ability to raise capital when needed, the timing, nature and results of the
Company’s clinical trials, potential development of alternative
technologies or more effective products by competitors, the Company’s
ability to obtain and maintain regulatory or institutional approvals, the
Company’s ability to maintain its listing on the NASDAQ Capital Market and
the Company’s ability to obtain, maintain and protect its intellectual
property, as well as other risk factors described in its filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including in “Item 1A. Risk
Factors” in the Company’s most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the
quarter ended March 31, 2008 filed with the SEC. You should not rely unduly
on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of
this release. The Company undertakes no duty to publicly announce or report
revisions to these statements as new information becomes available that may
change the Company’s expectations.

Investor and Media Contact:
Stacie D. Byars
WeissComm Partners
206.660.2588
Email Contact

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