Raven Biotechnologies, Inc. Announces Cancer Stem Cell Collaboration With Emory University Medical School

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Raven biotechnologies, inc., a privately held company focused on the development of monoclonal antibody therapeutics (MAbs) for cancer today announced it has entered into a research collaboration with Dr. Leland W.K. Chung, Director of the Molecular Urology and Therapeutics Program at the Emory University Medical School's Department of Urology.

Using Raven's unique prostate cancer derived cancer stem cells (CSCs), Raven and Emory will collaboratively examine prostate cancer biology, disease progression and subsequent metastasis.

Under the terms of the collaboration, Raven will provide Emory with access to its prostate cancer stem cells. Raven will also provide Emory with a library of antibodies targeting cancer stem cells to study their use as potential diagnostic tools for cancer prognosis and treatment.

Cancer stem cells are the proliferating cells at the core of the abnormal biology of a tumor, driving cancer growth and metastasis. Raven has developed technologies to isolate cancer stem cells and has established lines of pure cancer stem cells for a dozen of the most prevalent cancers. Raven is using these cell lines and its extensive library of anti-cancer antibodies to test for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

"Raven is actively pursing several collaborations in order to advance the most promising programs and technologies in our pipeline," stated George Schreiner, M.D., Ph.D., chief executive officer of Raven biotechnologies. "We are excited about our collaboration with Emory University because of their work in cancer stem cells that compliments Raven's expertise in this area, as well as their multidisciplinary approach to cancer research and clinical applications."

About Raven

Raven biotechnologies, inc. (http://www.ravenbio.com) is a privately held biotechnology company focused on the development of monoclonal antibody therapeutics for treating cancer. Raven's lead product candidate, RAV12, targets adenocarcinomas and is in clinical development for the treatment of gastrointestinal and other cancers. Raven's discovery process simultaneously identifies cell-surface drug targets and the antibody therapeutics to regulate them. Our focus on biological function allows us to rapidly identify novel target antigens and therapeutic candidates in their native configuration in the intact cell membrane. Our integrated approach is based on proprietary methods for optimizing the production of MAbs targeting cell-surface proteins, including the use of human tissue-specific progenitor and tumor stem cell lines developed at Raven.

To date Raven has identified multiple candidate therapeutic MAbs for many cancer indications including lung, colon, pancreatic, prostate, breast, and ovarian cancer.

On November 12, 2007, Raven and VaxGen Inc. , a biopharmaceutical company, announced that their respective boards of directors unanimously approved a definitive merger agreement. The merger is expected to create a drug development company with a robust pipeline of monoclonal antibody candidates in oncology, proprietary antibody discovery platforms, biopharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities and sufficient cash to fund operations at least through the end of 2009. The merger is expected to close in the first half of 2008.

CONTACT: Stephen Worsley, Business Development of Raven biotechnologies,
inc., +1-650-624-2662, sworsley@ravenbio.com; or Ellen Rose of Availe
Communication, +1-650-387-8746, for Raven biotechnologies, inc.

Web site: http://www.ravenbio.com/

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