Cellceutix Poster Presented At American Association for Cancer Research; Dr. Menon...

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Tue Oct 13, 2009 7:01am EDT

Cellceutix Poster Presented At American Association for Cancer Research; Dr.
Menon Selected for Expert Panel

    Kevetrin(TM) Shows Excellent Activity in Animal Models of Drug
     Resistant Lung Cancer With Less Cytotoxicity Than Paclitaxel

  Cellceutix of Beverly, MA, to Pursue Development for Drug-Resistant
                              Lung Cancer
BEVERLY, Mass., Oct. 13, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cellceutix Corporation
(OTCBB:CTIX) today announced that it presented a poster and its Chief Scientific
Officer, Dr. Krishna Menon, was one of only four individuals selected to
participate in an expert panel discussion of the abstract at the American
Association for Cancer Research (AACR) meeting "Frontiers in Basic Cancer
Research" in Boston, MA on October 10, 2009. The Company's poster describes in
vitro and in vivo research on its lead compound, Kevetrin(TM), which is being
developed for drug resistant cancers. The three day AACR meeting featured
presentations on the latest advances in basic cancer research from around the
world. The AACR issued a press release on October 10, 2009 which featured the
abstract submitted by Cellceutix
http://www.aacr.org/home/public--media/aacr-press-releases.aspx?d=1571

In the in vivo studies, Kevetrin was found to significantly delay tumor growth
in two multi-drug resistant lung cancer cell lines. In two experiments with the
NCI-H1975 cell line, Kevetrin showed an average tumor growth delay of 149%
compared to controls, while paclitaxel delayed tumor growth an average of 72%.
The delay in Kevetrin treated animals was significantly greater than in the
animals treated with paclitaxel (p<0.01). In two experiments with the A549 cell
line, Kevetrin showed an average tumor growth delay of 72% compared to controls
while paclitaxel showed an average tumor growth delay of 6%. Again, the delay in
Kevetrin treated animals was significantly greater than in the animals treated
with paclitaxel (p<0.01).

In the in vitro studies, the cytotoxicity of Kevetrin was found to be less than
that of paclitaxel or cisplatin and Kevetrin was found to inhibit specific AKT,
p38 MAP kinase activity and pmTOR kinase activity. Since Kevetrin had greater
anti-tumor activity compared to paclitaxel despite being less cytotoxic, this
suggests that Kevetrin may be targeting specific components of the signal
transduction pathway, such as AKT, p38 MAP kinase, or the pmTOR kinase activity,
rather than acting primarily as a cytotoxic agent.

"We were pleased to present this important data at the prestigious AACR meeting,
and furthermore, I was honored to be selected as an expert panel participant,"
said Dr. Krishna Menon, Chief Scientific Officer of Cellceutix. Dr. Menon
continued: "The poster describes experiments in which Kevetrin showed excellent
activity against multi-drug resistant lung cancer cell lines, which are very
difficult to treat. These results are also consistent with the animal model
experiment results we recently released in drug-resistant breast and colon
cancer cell lines. Based on these strong results, we plan to aggressively pursue
development of Kevetrin for multi-drug resistant lung cancer."

For a copy of the poster presented by Cellceutix at the AACR meeting and a more
complete description of these studies please visit our Company's website at
www.cellceutix.com.

About Cellceutix

Cellceutix Corporation is a preclinical cancer and anti-inflammatory drug
developer. Cellceutix owns the rights to seven drug compounds, including
Kevetrin, which it is developing as a treatment for certain cancers, and KM-133,
which it is developing for the treatment of psoriasis. More information is
available on the Cellceutix web site at www.cellceutix.com. To be added to the
Cellceutix investor email list, please email news@cellceutix.com with CTIX in
the subject line.

This Press Release contains forward-looking statements that are based on our
current expectations, beliefs and assumptions about the industry and markets in
which Cellceutix Corporation operates. Such forward-looking statements involve
known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause
Cellceutix's actual results to be materially different from any future results
expressed or implied by these statements. Actual results may differ materially
from what is expressed in these statements, and no assurance can be given that
Cellceutix can successfully implement its core business strategy and improve
future earnings.

The factors that may cause Cellceutix's actual results to differ from its
forward-looking statements include: Cellceutix's current critical need for
additional cash to sustain existing operations and meet ongoing existing
obligations and capital requirements; Cellceutix's ability to implement its new
product development and commercialization, enter into clinical trials, expand
the intellectual property portfolio, and receive regulatory approvals in a
timely and cost-effective manner. All forward-looking statements are also
expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements included in
Cellceutix's SEC filings, including its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and its
annual report on Form 10-K.

Kevetrin has not been studied in humans at this time. The Company's positive
results in animal studies do not necessarily guarantee success in humans, though
they may form the basis for beginning Phase 1 trials.

The Cellceutix Corporation logo is available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=6397

-0-
CONTACT:  Cellceutix Corp.
          Leo Ehrlich
          (978) 633-3623
          Leo@Cellceutix.com
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