Directorate Change

Cambridge Antibody Tech Group PLC
07 January 2005


04/CAT/19

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

11:30 GMT, 06:30 EST, Friday 7 January 2005


For further information contact:


Cambridge Antibody Technology                      Weber Shandwick Square Mile (Europe)

Tel: [phone]                          Tel: [phone]

Peter Chambre, Chief Executive Officer             Kevin Smith

John Aston, Chief Financial Officer                Sarah MacLeod

Rowena Gardner, Director of Corporate Communications


                                                   BMC Communications/The Trout Group (USA)

                                                   Tel: [phone]

                                                   Brad Miles, ext 17 (media)

                                                   Brandon Lewis, ext 15 (investors)




CAMBRIDGE ANTIBODY TECHNOLOGY ANNOUNCES
CHANGES TO THE BOARD AND EXECUTIVE GROUP


Cambridge, UK - Cambridge Antibody Technology (LSE: CAT; NASDAQ: CATG) today
announces changes to the Company's Board of Directors and Executive Group.


Dr David Glover, Chief Medical Officer at CAT, will take early retirement from
the Company and the Board after the Company's Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 4
February 2005. David was appointed to the Board of CAT in July 1997, having
joined the Company as Vice President Medical Development in November 1994. As
the first senior management appointee from the pharmaceutical industry to the
Company, David played a fundamental role in establishing product development
capabilities and expertise in CAT. He has made a major contribution to the
Company's successful institutional fundraising activities.


Following David's retirement, Dr Patrick Round, VP Development at CAT, will
assume responsibility for all of CAT's development activities and will join the
Company's Executive Group, which has responsibility for the operational
management of the Company. Before joining CAT in May 2004, Patrick was Director
of Development at Celltech and has also held positions at Glaxo Wellcome, Novo
Nordisk A/S, Denmark and Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals, UK.


Diane Mellett, General Counsel at CAT and Company Secretary, will join the Board
of Directors following the Company's AGM in February. Diane joined CAT in
October 1997 as Vice President Legal Affairs and Company Secretary, having
previously worked in private practice in the UK. Immediately prior to joining
CAT, she worked for an American law firm in London and Chicago. In addition to
being a solicitor, Diane is qualified as a US attorney admitted to the Illinois
Bar.


Paul Nicholson, Chairman of CAT, said "We would like to thank David for the
invaluable contribution he has made to the Company and for the expertise and
professionalism he has brought to CAT. David has played a huge role in helping
to build CAT from a small private biotech company to where it stands today.
David has our very best wishes for the future.


We look forward to welcoming Diane to the Board. Diane has been a key member of
the executive team of CAT over many years.  Her appointment as a Director is
thoroughly deserved and we expect the Board will benefit greatly from her input.


Since joining CAT last May, Patrick has already made a significant contribution
to CATs progress. He will be a very valuable addition to the Companys Executive
Group."


                                     -ENDS-


Notes to Editors

Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT):


CAT is a biopharmaceutical company using its proprietary technologies and
capabilities in human monoclonal antibodies for drug discovery and drug
development. Based near Cambridge, England, CAT currently employs around 280
people


CAT is a leader in the discovery and development of human therapeutic antibodies
and has an advanced proprietary technology for rapidly isolating human
monoclonal antibodies using phage display and ribosome display systems. CAT has
extensive phage antibody libraries, currently incorporating more than 100
billion distinct antibodies. These libraries form the basis for the Companys
strategy to develop a portfolio of antibody-based drugs.


Four CAT human therapeutic antibody products are now at various stages of
clinical development, with one further product candidate in pre-clinical
development.


HUMIRA, the leading CAT-derived antibody, isolated and optimised in
collaboration with Abbott, has been approved for marketing as a treatment for
rheumatoid arthritis in 51 countries.


Six further licensed CAT-derived human therapeutic antibodies are in clinical
development by licensees, with four further licensed product candidates in
pre-clinical development.


CAT has alliances with a number of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to
discover, develop and commercialise human monoclonal antibody-based products.


On 22 November 2004, CAT announced a major strategic alliance with AstraZeneca
to discover and develop human antibody therapeutics in inflammatory disorders.


CAT has a broad collaboration with Genzyme for the development and
commercialisation of antibodies directed against TGFb, a family of proteins
associated with fibrosis and scarring. This collaboration has so far given rise
to one antibody product candidate at clinical development stage, and one at
pre-clinical development stage.


CAT has also licensed its proprietary technologies to several companies. CATs
licensees include: Abbott, Amgen, Chugai, Genzyme, Human Genome Sciences, Merck
& Co, Pfizer and Wyeth Research.


CAT is listed on the London Stock Exchange and on NASDAQ. CAT raised £41m in its
IPO in March 1997 and £93m in a secondary offering in March 2000.


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 the companyOs present and future business strategies and
the environment in which the company will operate in the future. Certain factors
that could cause the companyOs actual results, performance or achievements to
differ materially from those in the forward looking statements include: market
conditions, CATOs ability to enter into and maintain collaborative arrangements,
success of product candidates in clinical trials, regulatory developments and
competition. We caution investors not to place undue reliance on the forward
looking statements contained in this press release. These statements speak only
as of the date of this press release, and we undertake no obligation to update
or revise the statements.



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            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange