PROTALIX BIOTHERAPEUTICS, INC. (PLX)

[midastouch017]

Re : Procognia,

Lev Leviev increases Procognia Israel stake to 7.6%
21.6.07 | 10:31 By Michael Rochvarger
Real estate-diamond baron Lev Leviev evidently has faith in the Procognia group. His company Africa Israel (TASE: AFIL) has increased its shareholding in the biotechnology firm's local company, Procognia Israel, to 7.6%, an interest worth about NIS 6.5 million.

From July 1, Procognia Israel will be listed on the TelTech-15 index.

Procognia Israel is a subsidiary of the British parent company Procognia, which itself was only founded in 2002.

The group engages in glycobiology, which is basically the science of sugars. Prociognia products truncate drug development time through analysis of the glycan (sugar) on protein molecules, and assays of protein function.

Procognia Israel has 25 employees at its offices in Ashdod.

The main shareholders of Procognia U.K. are the Apax Partners investment fund, Evergreen, Vitalife and the Israeli funds Star Ventures and Koor Ventures.

Procognia Israel listed stock and warrants on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange in March 2007, raising NIS 43 million. The company has agreements in place with Teva Pharmaceuticals (TASE, Nasdaq: TEVA) and Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Recently Procognia announced an agreement with a consortium of companies to develop diagnostic tests for the early discovery and monitoring of cancer, mainly pancreatic and prostate tumors. The research is financed by the Sixth Programme of the European Union, which will pay half the R&D costs- NIS 3 million.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/873634.html