03 27 08

Celsis International plc, the life sciences products and laboratory services company, today announces that its Celsis In Vitro Technologies (Celsis IVT) division has signed an exclusive global market development agreement with Apath LLC to assist customers in the evaluation of drug candidates for their cytotoxicity and efficacy against the Hepatitis C virus.

Celsis’ IVT division, which provides in vitro liver cell products and development services to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries to reduce the time and cost of drug discovery and development, has signed an agreement with Apath LLC which is based on its intellectual property portfolio relating to the Hepatitis C virus (HCV). Apath LLC is a US-based drug discovery company focused on human viral diseases, and its portfolio was developed by its founder Charles M. Rice, Ph.D. and other pioneers in the field.

To date, research into potential therapeutics for HCV has been significantly hindered, in part, by the absence of effective in vitro efficacy models in which potential compounds can be evaluated. This unmet need has contributed to the lack of success in the development of treatments for a disease that affects an estimated 200 million people worldwide, four times the prevalence of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

There are more than 100 pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies who have active HCV programmes. This agreement provides these companies with access to a unique cell-based screening programme of their candidate compounds by leveraging Celsis IVT’s market presence and in vitro development capabilities with Apath’s proprietary technology platforms against the HCV life cycle.

Commercial launch of this programme is expected to take place in Q2 of this calendar year with the potential for sizeable incremental revenues to Celsis IVT over the next several years. This agreement not only provides new growth opportunities for Celsis but is consistent with Celsis’ position in providing leading technologies to our customers that provide critical information to assist in the drug discovery and development process.

Paul D. Olivo, M.D., Ph.D., president and CSO of Apath LLC, commented: “We are delighted to be working with Celsis and are confident that our expertise in virology and molecular biology and Celsis’ leadership and depth of understanding in the drug discovery and development market place will be a successful partnership. We therefore look forward to entering into this agreement where our technology and proprietary know-how will assist in developing a new screening method for the Hepatitis C virus.”

Jay LeCoque, chief executive officer of Celsis, said: “This market development agreement with Apath LLC is another significant step for our Celsis IVT business and demonstrates the substantive progress that Celsis is delivering to this field. We are pleased to partner with Apath who have assembled a leading intellectual property portfolio in supporting the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in their quest to find solutions to treat or prevent Hepatitis C.”

About Apath

Apath LLC is a privately held pharmaceutical discovery company, with a focus on the application of state-of-the-art molecular virology and viral genetics in the discovery and development of therapeutics for human viral diseases. Apath was founded in St. Louis, Missouri in 1997 by Charles M. Rice, Ph.D. Dr. Rice is the Maurice R. and Corinne P. Greenberg Professor of Molecular Virology, Viral Pathogenesis, Vaccine Development and Director of the Laboratory of Virology and Infectious Disease at The Rockefeller University as well as the Scientific and Executive Director, Center for the Study of Hepatitis C, A Cooperative Endeavor of The Rockefeller University, Weill Cornell Medical College and New York Presbyterian Hospital. To learn more, please visit www.apath.com.

About Celsis International

Celsis International plc is a world leading provider of innovative life science products and laboratory services to the pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, and consumer products industries through its three business areas; rapid detection, analytical and drug development services and ADME-Tox in vitro technologies. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange (CEL.L). To learn more, please visit www.celsis.com.

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