TED Ted Baker Plc

    For immediate release

                      TEPNEL LIFE SCIENCES PLC ("TEPNEL")                      

           AND OPi ANNOUNCE PLANNED ACQUISITION OF DIACLONE RESEARCH           

Manchester, U.K., Lyon, France, July 30, 2004 - Tepnel (AIM: TED) and OPi SAS
("OPi") today announce that they have signed a conditional agreement in which
Tepnel will acquire OPi's subsidiary Diaclone Research, a company that produces
monoclonal antibodies for in vitro studies and diagnostic purposes.

Diaclone Research is the spin-off of Diaclone, a subsidiary of OPi acquired in
2003. This company is the result of the re-engineering of OPi group conducted
last year, which separated the assets of Diaclone in three parts : i) research
for therapeutic antibodies within OPi, ii) manufacturing therapeutic antibodies
within OPISODIA and iii) diagnostic activities within the newly-formed Diaclone
Research.

Under the terms of the agreement, Tepnel will acquire Diaclone Research from
OPi for total consideration of EUR 2.372 million and assume control of its
facilities based in Besan�on, France. As an inducement to enter into this
conditional agreement, Tepnel has paid a non-refundable instalment of EUR
250,000 to OPi and anticipates that the transaction will be completed before 31
October 2004.

Diaclone Research produces and customises monoclonal antibodies ("mAb's"),
complimentary reagents and diagnostic test kits. These mAb's are used in a
variety of laboratory tests, including ELISA, Eli spot, flow cytometry, cell
sorting, tissue staining and functional assays, as part of pharmaceutical and
biotechnology companies drug discovery efforts. The custom mAb's capability is
expected to contribute significantly to Tepnel's corporate strategic plan, as
it will allow Tepnel to expand its portfolio of diagnostic and service
offerings both in Europe and the United States. In particular, the Tepnel
Lifecodes business in North America is expected to provide a useful
distribution channel for Diaclone Research's existing products.

Additionally, the Directors believe that Diaclone Research's strong historical
relationship with several major pharmaceutical companies will allow Tepnel to
offer certain product offerings to other pharma and biotech customers through
its TSS division. It is anticipated that these cross-selling opportunities will
result in incremental revenues to Tepnel.

"We are delighted with our decision to acquire Diaclone Research as this marks
the next stage in our strategic corporate development and further expansion of
our diagnostic and service offerings in Europe and the U.S.," stated Ben
Matzilevich, Chief Executive Officer of Tepnel Life Sciences. "Diaclone
Research's monoclonal antibody production not only offers natural synergies in
this area but will provide a distribution network for our current products and
services across Europe and the U.S."

"We are very pleased about the positive outcome of our discussions with Tepnel"
said Gilles Alberici, President, CEO and founder of OPi. "Since OPi is focusing
its activities on therapeutic agents and monoclonal antibodies for rare and
severe diseases, we were seeking a company to acquire the non-therapeutic
assets of our Group. We strongly believe in Tepnel's ability to significantly
grow Diaclone Research's activities, thanks to its know-how in the diagnostics
market. "

                                    -ends-                                     

Enquiries:

Tepnel Life Sciences plc 0161 946 2200

Ben Matzilevich/Gron Ffoulkes-Davies

Seymour Pierce Limited 020 7107 8000

Mark Percy

De Facto Communications 020 7496 3300

Yvonne Alexander

OPi

Charlotte de Sainte Marie 33 04 37 49 85 97

Notes to Editors

About Tepnel Life Sciences PLC

Tepnel Life Sciences is a UK-based international life sciences instrumentation
and services company with a `tri-polar' strategy focused on providing the
biomedical industry with high-throughput automated DNA purification systems,
manual DNA purification kits and reagents, as well as scientific services for
nucleic acid purification, drug analysis, genotyping and genetically modified
foods. Tepnel Life Sciences was founded in 1992 to exploit DNA technology
generated at UMIST (University of Manchester Institute of Science and
Technology) and is quoted on the AIM segment of the London Stock Exchange (AIM:
TED). More information on Tepnel can be found at www.tepnel.com.

About OPi, Pharmaceuticals for Rare Diseases


Founded in 1999, OPi is a European integrated biopharmaceutical company whose
mission is to develop and market pharmaceuticals aimed at treating patients
suffering from rare and severe diseases. The Company has already one product
approved in Europe and several products under clinical development. Innovation
and medical needs are the mainstays of OPi's approach. More information can be
found at www.orphan-opi.com

Diaclone Research is the spin-off of OPi's subsidiary dedicated to research and
diagnostic activities. This company is the result of the re-engineering of OPi
group conducted last year, which separated the assets of Diaclone (acquired by
OPi in 2003) into three parts: i) research for therapeutic antibodies within
OPi, ii) manufacturing therapeutic antibodies within OPISODIA and iii)
diagnostic activities within the newly-formed Diaclone Research.

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