Beerse, Belgium - September 12, 2006 - Johnson & Johnson today announced that Craig C. Mello, Ph. D., a professor of Molecular Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, and an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, has been named the inaugural recipient of The Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research. Dr. Mello was selected for his role in the discovery of RNA interference (RNAi) and the elucidation of its biological functions. The Award will be presented to Dr. Mello today at The Dr. Paul Janssen Biomedical Research Scientific Symposium and Award Program in Beerse, Belgium, which also commemorates the 80th anniversary of Dr. Janssen's birth.

The Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research was established by Johnson & Johnson to honor Dr. Paul Janssen. The Award recipients are chosen by a preeminent and independent selection committee composed of world-leading scientists and clinicians. Intending to acknowledge a scientist whose work has the potential to make a significant, transformational contribution toward the improvement of human health, the Award includes a $100,000 prize and will be given every two years. Dr. Janssen, who was known to his colleagues as Dr. Paul, was one of the 20th century's most gifted and passionate scientists. At the time of his death in 2003, Dr. Paul, who was the founder of Janssen Pharmaceutica, had contributed to the discovery and development of more than 80 medicines that have helped save millions of lives.

"I am very grateful to receive this Award, which aims to extend the legacy of Dr. Paul Janssen, one of the greatest scientific innovators of our time," said Dr. Mello. "I am also very thankful to the Selection Committee for giving me this Award and to be considered alongside so many great scientists."

RNA interference is a biological process where double-stranded RNA inhibits gene expression in a highly specific fashion. Since its discovery in 1998, R
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