CAT-213 starts clinical trial

Cambridge Antibody Tech Group PLC
12 June 2001

01/CAT/12



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday 12 June 2001

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   CAMBRIDGE ANTIBODY TECHNOLOGY STARTS PHASE I CLINICAL TRIALS OF CAT-213

Melbourn, UK... Cambridge Antibody Technology (LSE: CAT: NASDAQ: CATG) today
announced that a Phase I clinical trial has commenced of CAT-213, CAT's human
monoclonal antibody which neutralises eotaxin1.

The Phase I clinical trial will assess safety, tolerability and
pharmacokinetics of a single intravenous dose of CAT-213 in 25 healthy
volunteers.

CAT-213, by neutralising eotaxin1, inhibits the major stimulus that attracts
eosinophils (a type of white blood cell) into tissues. As a result of this
action CAT-213 may have clinical applications in the treatment of severe
allergic disorders where eosinophils may cause tissue damage and in conditions
where the patient has too many circulating eosinophils known as
hypereosinophilia.

Dr David Glover, CAT's Medical Director, said 'We are very pleased to announce
this milestone for CAT-213, the fifth monocloncal antibody from CAT to enter
clinical trials. Data from this first clinical trial will support a trial in
allergic patients that we are planning for later this year'


                                    -ENDS-


Notes to Editors:

Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT)

CAT is a UK biotechnology company using its proprietary technologies in human
monoclonal antibodies for drug discovery and drug development. Based in
Melbourn, 10 miles south of Cambridge, England, CAT currently employs around
230 people.

CAT is listed on the London Stock Exchange, having raised £41m in its IPO in
March 1997. A further offering in March 2000 raised £93m. Also, CAT's ADRs are
listed on the US NASDAQ National Market.

CAT has a world-leading platform technology for rapidly isolating fully human
monoclonal antibodies using phage display systems. CAT has an extensive phage
antibody library, currently incorporating around 100 billion distinct
antibodies. This library forms the basis for the company's strategy to develop
a portfolio of clinical development programmes and for discovering new drug
leads using functional genomics. Five human therapeutic antibodies developed
by CAT are at various stages of clinical trials.

CAT has a number of licence and collaborative agreements in place with
pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies including: Eli Lilly, Pfizer,
Genentech, ICOS, Genetics Institute, Wyeth-Ayerst, Human Genome Sciences,
Knoll Pharmaceuticals (a subsidiary of Abbott Pharmaceuticals), AstraZeneca,
Pharmacia, Oxford GlycoSciences, Genzyme, Immunex, Zyomyx and Elan.

CAT-213

CAT-213 is a human IgG4 monoclonal antibody that neutralises eotaxin1 - a
chemokine protein that acts to attract eosinophils (a type of white blood
cell) into tissues, where they can degranulate causing tissue damage.
Eosinophils are thus believed to play a key role in causing the inflammation
and tissue damage that occurs in a variety of allergic disorders, including
asthma.

Allergies in some form affect over 20% of the population, with 'hay fever'
(allergic rhinitis) being the most common. Asthma is a very common respiratory
disorder of ever-increasing prevalence, currently affecting over 6.5% of the
UK population, with over 200,000 patients being admitted to hospitals each
year and over 2000 deaths annually directly attributed to asthma. The
potential markets for CAT-213 are therefore enormous. However, there is
intense competition in the development of better treatments for these markets.
CAT-213, initially being developed as an intravenous injection, may also be
useful in the treatment of other conditions where raised levels of circulating
eosinophils play a significant role in pathogenesis (hypereosinophilic
syndromes).



Application of the Safe Harbor of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995: This press release contains statements about Cambridge Antibody
Technology Group plc ('CAT') that are forward looking statements. All
statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press
release may be forward looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

These forward looking statements are based on numerous assumptions regarding
CAT's present and future business strategies and the environment in which CAT
will operate in the future. Certain factors that could cause CAT's actual
results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those in the
forward looking statements include: market conditions, CAT's ability to enter
into and maintain collaborative arrangements, success of product candidates in
clinical trials, regulatory developments and competition.