Bionovo Announces Publication of Data on Active Compound and Mechanism of Action...

Bionovo Announces Publication of Data on Active Compound and Mechanism of
Action for Its Preclinical Cancer Treatment, BN108

EMERYVILLE, Calif., April 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bionovo, Inc. (Nasdaq:
BNVI) today announced the poster presentation of significant, new data on the
nature of the active compound and mechanism of action for its preclinical
cancer drug candidate, BN108. The presentation is being made at the 2009
conference of the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) in Denver,
today.

In summary, the study concludes the following:

-- BN108, an aqueous extract of Anemarrhena asphodeloides, selectively
induces cell death in breast cancer cells and other tumor cells
without
having a toxic effect on normal cells.
-- Timosaponin AIII (TAIII) has been identified as an active compound
from
BN108 that is responsible for the selective activity of BN108 towards
breast cancer cells.
-- BN108 and TAIII rapidly and selectively inhibited major pro-survival
cellular pathways that are often over-active in breast cancer.

"Currently available treatments for advanced breast cancer patients have
limited efficacy and are associated with severe toxicity. Significantly more
effective, less toxic therapies are urgently needed. Our studies suggest that
therapeutic strategies based on BN108 and TspA3 may achieve more efficacious
and safer clinical outcomes for breast cancer patients," stated Emma
Shtivelman, Ph.D., the director of cancer research at Bionovo.

"BN108 offers great potential for the treatment of cancer. It is a drug that
targets cell survival mechanisms, but it does it only in cancer cells. We
anticipate it will have little to no collateral toxicity as is observed with
all current cancer chemotherapy," said Isaac Cohen, chairman and CEO of
Bionovo, Inc. "Bionovo is looking forward to entering clinical testing with
BN108. We believe the market opportunity for drugs that are safe, effective
and do not compromise the cancer patient's quality of life is exciting."

Bionovo, Inc.
Bionovo, Inc. is a pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and
development of safe and effective treatments for women's health and cancer,
markets with significant unmet needs and billions in potential annual revenue.
The company applies its expertise in the biology of menopause and cancer to
design new drugs derived from botanical sources which have novel mechanisms of
action. Based on the results of early and mid-stage clinical trials, Bionovo
believes they have discovered new classes of drug candidates within their rich
pipeline with the potential to be leaders in their markets. Bionovo is
headquartered in Emeryville, California and is traded on the NASDAQ Capital
Market under the symbol, "BNVI". For more information about Bionovo and its
programs, visit: http://www.bionovo.com.

Forward Looking Statements
This release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to the
business of Bionovo, Inc. that can be identified by the use of forward-looking
terminology such as "believes," "expects," or similar expressions. Such
forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties,
including uncertainties relating to product development, efficacy and safety,
regulatory actions or delays, the ability to obtain or maintain patent or
other proprietary intellectual property protection, market acceptance,
physician acceptance, third party reimbursement, future capital requirements,
competition in general and other factors that may cause actual results to be
materially different from those described herein as anticipated, believed,
estimated or expected. Certain of these risks and uncertainties are or will be
described in greater detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, which are available at http://www.sec.gov. Bionovo, Inc. is under
no obligation (and expressly disclaims any such obligation) to update or alter
its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future
events or otherwise.

SOURCE Bionovo, Inc.

Company, Claire Fong, or Tom Chesterman, both of Bionovo, Inc.,
+1-510-601-2000, investor@bionovo.com; or Investors, Joe Diaz, Robert Blum, or
Joe Dorame, All of Lytham Partners, LLC, +1-602-889-9700,
bnvi@lythampartners.com, For Bionovo, Inc.