Monheim, Germany and Cambridge, Massachussett
March 5, 2003

Bayer CropScience AG today announced that it has entered into an agreement with the US Whitehead Institute/MIT Center for Genome Research (WICGR) on further research into the genome of the fungal corn pest Ustilago maydis (common corn smut). The WICGR is an international leader in the field of
genomics and, as the flagship center of the Human Genome Project, has broad expertise in genome sequencing.

Bayer CropScience will supply WICGR the decoded genome (genetic map) of Ustilago maydis. The Ustilago genome sequence will be improved as a part of the WICGR fungal sequencing initiative - an effort to sequence the genomes of 15 different species of fungi. The complete genome sequences will be published and available to the scientific community to support further research efforts in the area of
fungal genomics. 

More than two years ago, Bayer CropScience researchers were the first to establish a genomic map of the phytopathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis. The research project was run in scientific cooperation with the working group of Prof. Regine Kahmann (Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Max Planck Institute in Marburg) and in collaboration with LION Bioscience AG in Heidelberg.

"The improved knowledge of fungal genomes will increase our understanding of the interactions between fungal pathogens and crops, and thus reinforce the success of our research in this field," said Dr. Detlef Wollweber, Head of Crop Protection Research at Bayer CropScience AG in Monheim.

The Whitehead Institute/MIT Center for Genome Research is an international leader in the field of genomics, the study of all of the genes in an organism and how they function together in health and disease. A flagship of the Human Genome Project, the Center today houses a broad range of thriving research programs combining structural genomics, medical and population genetics, and clinical medicine. The Center's annual budget is $80 million, and it employs 350 people, including scientists and medical researchers from Whitehead, MIT, and Harvard.

Bayer CropScience, a subsidiary of Bayer AG with annual sales of some EUR 6 billion, is one of the world's leading innovative crop science companies in the areas of crop protection, seeds and green biotechnology, as well as non-agricultural pest control. The company offers an outstanding range of products and extensive service backup for modern, sustainable agriculture and for non-agricultural applications. Bayer CropScience has a global workforce of 22,000 and is represented in 122 countries, ensuring proximity to dealers and consumers.