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Profectus BioSciences, Inc. Announces NIH Grant

Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Grant from Division of AIDS Awarded
to Expand Vaccine Approaches

Baltimore – Profectus BioSciences, Inc., a biotechnology company that develops preventative and therapeutic technologies to reduce the morbidity and mortality caused by viral diseases, today announced the award of an approximately $300,000 Phase 1 Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant from the Division of AIDS, National Institutes of Health. The focus of the grant is to develop enhanced adjuvants based on Profectus' proprietary technology, in collaboration with the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland . The grant will help support the development of one part of the company's diverse genetic adjuvant portfolio of research.

This Profectus BioSciences technology uses the enzymatically active A1 subunit of cholera toxin (CTA1), a potent and well-studied protein adjuvant, which is expressed from a DNA , RNA , or viral vector. The CTA1 adjuvant has shown great promise in small animal models and is currently being tested in non-human primates. Joseph F. Berardino, Chairman and CEO commented, “This award will accelerate our efforts to create new and improved genetic adjuvants based on CTA1. We believe that potent genetic adjuvants like CTA1 will greatly expand the utility of genetic vaccine approaches that many companies use to develop effective vaccines.”

Profectus BioSciences, Inc. began operations in early 2005 to develop and commercialize technologies to reduce the morbidity and mortality caused by human viral diseases, including the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the causative agent of AIDS. The Company's name, Profectus, translated from its Latin roots, means “to advance or improve,” thus capturing its approach to adding value to existing products or products under development from the leading global pharmaceutical companies. The company applies its specific scientific expertise to help commercialize new or repositioned drugs used for human and animal health.