Bergen, 31 July 2006: NorDiag ASA has entered into collaboration with CSPO - Centro per lo Studio e la Prevenzione Oncologica - to analyze samples obtained during a pilot screening programme for bowel cancer.

CSPO is a scientific institute of the Tuscany region in Italy, and the collaboration plans to analyze faecal samples within the colorectal screening programme performed in the Florence District. The program involves subjects of both genders between 50 and 70 years of age, using an immunologic faecal occult blood test (I-FOBT) done at home for the initial screening. The project in Florence is a part of a nationwide screening-program for colorectal cancer in Italy.

NorDiag’s genetic diagnostic test Genefec will be used on samples from individuals showing up positive on I-FOBT, to assess whether genetic testing can further direct the investigation to those individuals most likely to actually develop cancer.

-We are confident that our genetic Genefec test will prove more specific than the FOBT, particularly with respect to false positive results. For us this is a great opportunity to prove that Genefec will add value to colorectal cancer screening programmes. We believe we can narrow down the number of suspected cancer cases and thus reduce the need for invasive follow-up examinations”, says Chief Scientific Officer Dr David Parker in NorDiag ASA.

The collaboration project has been set up by Dr Parker and Doctor Massimo Confortini, who is the Director of the Analytical and Biomolecular unit of CSPO, in collaboration with the Regional reference centre for cancer screening and prevention. The results from the collaboration with NorDiag are expected to be submitted for publication in a peer reviewed journal in 2007.

In June, NorDiag entered into a similar collaboration with National Health Service, Tayside in Dundee, Scotland, to analyze samples obtained during the pilot of the Scottish screening programme for bowel cancer.

Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths, affecting 1 in 20 individuals in the western world. Early detection is key to both survival rates and treatment costs, and several European countries are therefore planning nationwide screening for early indicators of colorectal cancer. In Europe alone, the number of individuals in the relevant age group is estimated at more than 80 million, and NorDiag’s Genefec is currently the only non-invasive genetic test available for detection of colorectal cancer in this region.

About NorDiag ASA:

NorDiag is a biotechnology company focusing on early diagnosis of cancer. The company’s first product is Genefec for genetic diagnosis of colorectal cancer. The Genefec assay is a non-invasive test using faecal samples as specimen. The test is highly specific, easy to automate and currently used and reimbursed as a diagnostic assay in Scandinavia. NorDiag is listed on Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker NORD. Please also see www.nordiag.no.

About CSPO

Centro per lo Studio e la Prevenzione Oncologica (CSPO) was set up in Florence in 1963 with the start of screening programs for cervical cancer and later for breast cancer. The centre has been involved in screening for colorectal cancer since 1982. CSPO was recognised as a regional cancer reference centre in 1998, and a Scientific Institute of the Tuscany region in 2001. For more information, please see www.cspo.it.

For further information, please contact;

CEO Christian Horn in NorDiag ASA, tel: +47 9016 3153