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CytoGenix and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston Sign Agreement for Preclinical Testing of synDNA(TM) H5N1 Avian Flu Vaccine Candidates

Posted on: Tuesday, 16 May 2006, 18:08 CDT

CytoGenix, Inc. (OTCBB:CYGX) has entered into a research agreement with the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston for preclinical animal studies of synDNA(TM) H5N1 vaccine. Dr. Slobodan Paessler, scientific director of the Animal Biosafety Laboratory and the Galveston National Laboratory Advanced Veterinary Services (GAVS) Core will be supervising the research.

CytoGenix scientists have developed a synthetic DNA vaccine against a known strain of H5N1 as a test bed for efficacy and safety studies. In preparation for a possible pandemic, the synDNA(TM) technology is designed to produce millions of doses of a DNA vaccine in a period of a few months.

The work will be performed in the Robert E. Shope, M.D., laboratory at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), the only full-sized, maximum containment laboratory on a university campus in the United States and one of just four such Biosafety Level 4 (BSL4) "space suit" laboratories currently operating in the U.S. The Galveston National Laboratory at UTMB is one of two National Biocontainment Laboratories now being constructed under grants awarded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/National Institutes of Health (NIAID/NIH). It will provide research space to develop therapies, vaccines and diagnostic tests for naturally occurring emerging diseases such as SARS and West Nile encephalitis, as well as for viral and bacterial agents that might be employed by terrorists.

Dr. Yin Chen, CytoGenix vice president and chief scientific officer, states, "Dr. Paessler is an expert in infectious diseases animal models and has direct access to one of the few high containment laboratories in the country. One of the studies in this plan calls for a challenge with live virus to determine the degree of efficacy of the synDNA(TM) vaccine in conferring protection against H5N1 avian influenza."

CytoGenix, Inc. is a Houston-based biopharmaceutical company that develops and markets innovative products and services based on its proprietary ssDNA expression technology. The company has developed a breakthrough synthetic process for large-scale production of high purity DNA at a fraction of the cost of traditional fermentation methods. CytoGenix currently has one issued US patent and 41 international or US pending patent applications claiming methods and materials in connection with this platform technology.

SAFE HARBOR: Except for statements of historical fact, the statements in this press release are forward-looking. Such statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. These factors include, but are not limited to, general economic conditions, risks associated with the acceptance of new products, competition, and other factors more fully detailed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Additional information about CytoGenix and its technology is found on the website at www.cytogenix.com.

Source: Business Wire

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