Research Partnership Initiated between Procter & Gamble and the Institute for Systems Biology

The Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) and Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) have formed a collaborative partnership that will focus on research to characterize the systems biology of various skin conditions including skin aging.

The partnership will take advantage of the expertise at ISB in regulatory network inference and modeling, and the expertise of P&G in skin biology and dermatology to characterize and develop models of the global molecular changes that occur in skin under different conditions.

The focus on skin is of interest to both groups; skin care is a major consumer products area for P&G while ISB’s interest is on skin disease, including skin cancers. Additionally, ISB’s systems biology research is closely linked to organ specific approaches, with skin as a major human organ. The partnership will also include work on the systems biology of respiratory rhinovirus infection. This collaboration is focused on fundamental research to explore basic biologic mechanisms, with the intention of uncovering important molecular processes involved in skin aging and rhinovirus infections.

"We are looking forward to working with the Institute for Systems Biology and see this relationship as highly strategic” says Al Maingot, VP of Research & Development at P&G. "Along with supporting our skin care business, this collaboration will enhance our expanding core systems biology capabilities.”

About the Institute for Systems Biology

The Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) is an internationally renowned, non-profit research institute headquartered in Seattle and dedicated to the study and application of systems biology. Founded by Leroy Hood, Alan Aderem and Ruedi Aebersold, ISB seeks to unravel the mysteries of human biology and identify strategies for predicting and preventing diseases such as cancer, diabetes and AIDS. ISB´s systems approach integrates biology, computation and technological development, enabling scientists to analyze all elements in a biological system rather than one gene or protein at a time. Founded in 2000, the Institute has grown to 13 faculty and more than 300 staff members; an annual budget of more than $50 million; and an extensive network of academic and industrial partners. For more information about ISB, visit www.systemsbiology.org.

About Procter & Gamble

Four billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Gain®, Pringles®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun® and Fusion®. The P&G community includes approximately 127,000 employees working in about 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.