News ImmuneRegen NewsBusinessWire - April 30, 2008 6:30 AM ET ImmuneRegen(R) BioSciences to Provide Adjuvant to DynPort Vaccine Company for Development of an Inactivated Vaccine against Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus ImmuneRegen BioSciences, a wholly owned subsidiary of IR BioSciences Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB: IRBO), will provide its adjuvant candidate, Viprovex(R), for nonclinical studies of a Venezuelan equine encephalitis vaccine developed at DynPort Vaccine Company LLC (DVC), a Computer Sciences Corporation (NYSE: CSC) company. Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is a naturally emerging disease with the potential to be used as a biological weapon. Infection with the natural virus is incapacitating, with symptoms of infection including severe headache, back pain, muscle pain, chills, nausea, vomiting and weakness. In severe cases, VEEV attacks the central nervous system resulting in encephalitis, disorientation, convulsions, paralysis, coma and even death. VEEV is of the Alphavirus genus (others include eastern and western equine encephalitis, Chikungunya fever, and Semliki Forest disease), and was first recognized in the 1930s. Transmitted among horses and rodents by mosquitoes, there is concern that evolving climatic patterns may enable wild rodents in warmer areas of the U.S. to become a reservoir. Incidences of the disease in humans during epidemics have been as high as 300 per thousand persons and this infectivity would contribute to its potential use as a biological weapon. While deadly in horses (where mortality rates approach 80 percent), less than one percent of infected humans have died. (However, in the less than five percent of infected patients that develops encephalitis, mortality rates approach 20 percent.) Inactivated virus-based vaccines may result in fewer side effects than live virus vaccines, but often require the additional immune-boosting activity of an adjuvant. Initial proof-of-concept studies in mice will compare administration of the Viprovex/inactivated VEEV vaccine combination to inactivated vaccine alone. ImmuneRegen's Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Hal Siegel, stated that, "Based on what is currently known about our compound's capabilities as an adjuvant candidate as well as what we and others have demonstrated in previous studies, we are hopeful that the vaccine/adjuvant combination will elicit a far greater response than the vaccine alone." The proof-of-concept studies for the Viprovex/inactivated VEEV vaccine combination in mice are scheduled to begin later in 2008. ImmuneRegen BioSciences is currently planning additional adjuvant/vaccine combination studies with other collaborators for the near future. This project is funded 100 percent with Federal funds from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Health and Human Services, under Grant # 1 UC1 AI062538-01, initially awarded to DVC in 2004. DynPort Vaccine Company LLC (DVC) manages product development programs for U.S. government agencies, and provides consulting, technical and program management services to companies in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. The company's portfolio includes vaccines and therapeutics to protect against emerging infectious diseases including biological and chemical warfare threat agents, and seasonal and pandemic influenza. DVC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Computer Sciences Corp. For more information, visit www.csc.com/dvc. About CSC Computer Sciences Corporation is a leading information technology (IT) services company. CSC's mission is to be a global leader in providing technology-enabled business solutions and services. With approximately 91,000 employees, CSC provides innovative solutions for customers around the world by applying leading technologies and CSC's own advanced capabilities. These include systems design and integration; IT and business process outsourcing; applications software development; Web and application hosting; and management consulting. CSC reported revenue of $16.1 billion for the 12 months ended Dec. 28, 2007. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.csc.com. About ImmuneRegen BioSciences, Inc.a wholly owned subsidiary of IR BioSciences Holdings, Inc., (OTC BB:IRBS.OB - News) is a development-stage biotechnology company focused on the research, development and licensing of Homspera™ and its derivatives. Homspera is an adult stem cell active compound that in study results has been shown to regenerate and strengthen the immune system and enhance wound healing. Viprovex®, a derivative of Homspera, is being developed for potential use against infectious diseases as a stand-alone or combination therapy and as a vaccine adjuvant. To advance its mission, the Scottsdale, Arizona based company has forged numerous study partnerships with industry and academic leaders, including Celgene Cellular Therapeutics, HemoGenix, Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute and Virion Systems. For more information, please visit www.immuneregen.com. Statements about ImmuneRegen's future expectations, including statements about the potential use and scientific results for ImmuneRegen's drug candidates, science and technology, and all other statements in this press release other than historical facts, are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. ImmuneRegen intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbors created thereby. These future events may not occur as and when expected, if at all, and, together with ImmuneRegen's business, are subject to various risks and uncertainties. ImmuneRegen's actual results could differ materially from expected results as a result of a number of factors, including the uncertainties inherent in research and development collaborations, pre-clinical and clinical trials and product development programs (including, but not limited to the fact that future results or research and development efforts may prove less encouraging than current results or cause side effects not observed in current pre-clinical trials), the evaluation of potential opportunities, the level of corporate expenditures and monies available for further studies, capital market conditions, and others set forth in ImmuneRegen's periodic report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended June 30, 2008 and on Form 10-KSB for the year ended December 31, 2007 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. There are no guarantees that any of ImmuneRegen's proposed products will prove to be commercially successful. ImmuneRegen undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements. Contact: or
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