Altor BioScience Licenses T-cell Receptors Targeting HIV and Hepatitis C from Massachusetts General Hospital

MIRAMAR, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 10, 2008--Altor BioScience Corporation (Altor) today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) for exclusive, worldwide rights to develop and commercialize T-cell receptors (TCRs) specific for cells infected by HIV and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). The license has resulted from the success of Altor's collaboration established in 2004 with Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Partners AIDS Research Center at MGH. Altor has already successfully improved and converted the licensed TCRs into targeted therapeutic reagents using its Soluble T-cell Antigen Receptor (STAR(TM)) technology.

Hing Wong, Ph.D., President & CEO of Altor, commented, "The receptors we have licensed were discovered and characterized by Dr. Bruce Walker, one of the foremost authorities on viral antigen expression and T-cell immune responses in HIV and HCV patients. We are excited to have the opportunity to add these targeting molecules to our STAR(TM) program and look forward to taking an anti-HIV and anti-HCV drug candidate into the clinic." Dr. Wong added, "The specific targeting to HIV-infected cells makes it possible for the first time to eliminate latent viral reservoirs, which cannot be achieved with currently available treatments."

There are over 2 million people living with HIV in North America and Western Europe, and over 40,000 new infections occur in the U.S. each year. The availability of more than 40 approved antiretroviral drugs has dramatically lowered deaths from AIDS and reduced progression from HIV to AIDS. AIDS patients, however, continue to develop drug resistance requiring a change in antiviral therapy and also endure toxic side effects from these drugs, none of which provide a cure for the disease.

HCV is the most common cause of chronic blood-borne infection in the U.S. It causes inflammation of the liver, which can lead to fibrosis, cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver failure. The CDC estimates that nearly 4 million Americans are infected with HCV today and has projected a four-fold increase in the diagnosis of chronic infections between 1990 and 2015. Chronic liver disease accounts for roughly 25,000 deaths annually, with 40% of these HCV-related.

Altor BioScience Corporation is a privately-held biotechnology company developing targeted therapeutics for treating cancer, viral infection, and inflammatory disease, based on its proprietary STAR(TM) technology. The Company currently has several drug candidates at various stages of clinical development. For more information, visit www.altorbioscience.com.

CONTACT: Altor BioScience Corporation, Miramar

Peter Rhode, Ph.D., or Paul M. Herron, 954-443-8600