AtheroNova Inc. Names Noted Atherosclerosis Researcher Dr. Stephen J. Nicholls of the Cleveland Clinic to Scientific Advisory Board

IRVINE, CA--(Marketwire - May 16, 2011) - AtheroNova Inc. (OTCBB: AHRO) (“AtheroNova”), a biotech company focused on the research and development of compounds to regress atherosclerotic plaque, announced that Stephen J. Nicholls, MBBS, PhD, Medical Director of Intravascular Ultrasound and Angiography Core Laboratories at Cleveland Clinic and Clinical Director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Cardiovascular Diagnostics and Prevention, has been named to the Company’s Scientific Advisory Board.

“I am pleased to join AtheroNova’s scientific advisory board,” said Dr. Nicholls. “The development of novel compounds to regress atherosclerotic plaque is an exciting new frontier in the battle against cardiovascular disease and I look forward to working closely with AtheroNova as the company brings its compounds into the clinic.”

“Dr. Nicholls is internationally recognized as an atherosclerosis research expert and a leader in clinical trials using imaging technologies to investigate anti-atherosclerotic compounds,” stated Thomas W. Gardner, CEO of AtheroNova. “The knowledge and insight Dr. Nicholls has developed in his ground breaking research harnessing advanced imaging technologies to develop novel treatments for atherosclerosis makes him an invaluable addition to our scientific advisory board. We expect to greatly benefit from his guidance as we prepare to launch the clinical phase of our drug development program.”

In addition to his other positions at the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Nicholls is also Associate Director of the Cleveland Clinic Coordinating Center for Clinical Research and Assistant Professor of Molecular Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. He holds dual faculty appointments in the Robert and Suzanne Tomsich Department of Cardiovascular Medicine in the Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart & Vascular Institute at Cleveland Clinic, and the Department of Cell Biology in the Learner Research Institute.

Dr. Nicholls received his medical degree from the University of Adelaide in Australia. Following residency in internal medicine at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, he completed a clinical fellowship in cardiovascular medicine at John Hunter Hospital. He subsequently undertook his doctoral studies, focusing on the protective properties of high-density lipoproteins (HDL or “good cholesterol”) at the Heart Research Institute in Sydney. Following this training, Dr. Nicholls completed a postdoctoral fellowship in plaque imaging at Cleveland Clinic prior to his faculty appointment.

He is a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and American College of Cardiology and a member of the American Heart Association. He received the Helen May Davies Research Award from the National Heart Foundation of Australia, the Young Investigator Award at the 13th International Symposium on Atherosclerosis and was a finalist for the Samuel A. Levine Clinical Young Investigator Award at the 2005 Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association.

He has authored more than 150 original manuscripts, meeting abstracts and book chapters. His current research interests include the functional properties of HDL, the role of inflammation and oxidative stress in atherogenesis and the development of new imaging modalities to assess factors that influence the natural history of atherosclerosis. He plays a lead role in clinical trials that employ intravascular ultrasound to investigate the impact of novel anti-atherosclerotic therapies.

About AtheroNova

AtheroNova, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, AtheroNova Operations, Inc., is a development stage company currently researching novel patents-pending applications of certain natural compounds to regress atherosclerotic plaque deposits, a process called delipidization. The Company plans to develop multiple applications for its compounds, to be used in pharmaceutical grade products for the treatment of atherosclerosis, obesity and lipomas.

Forward-Looking Statements

Except for historical information contained herein, the statements in this release are forward-looking and made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are inherently unreliable and actual results may differ materially. Examples of forward looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the value of Dr. Nicholls’ appointment to AtheroNova’s scientific advisory board, and the development of applications for AtheroNova’s technology. Factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include such factors as significant fluctuations in expenses associated with clinical trials, failure to secure additional financing, the inability to complete regulatory filings with the Food and Drug Administration, the introduction of competing products, or management’s ability to attract and maintain qualified personnel necessary for the development and commercialization of its planned products, and other information that may be detailed from time to time in AtheroNova’s filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. AtheroNova undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.