AMPK Activator Licensing Deal Highlights Successful Collaboration between Boston-based Mercury Therapeutics and CreaGen Biosciences

BOSTON--(Business Wire)--
The recent licensing deal between Mercury Therapeutics and Debiopharm showcases
the highly successful partnership between Mercury Therapeutics and CreaGen
Biosciences, said CreaGen in a statement released today.

For the past three years, Mercury has partnered with CreaGen for medicinal
chemistry-based outsourcing of their lead generation program seeking to develop
small molecule activators of AMP activated protein kinase. Novel AMPK activators
hold promise for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and
cancer.

The collaboration between Mercury and CreaGen has produced valuable intellectual
property including MT-63-78. Now called Debio 0930, this compound serves as an
orally active the lead compound for which Mercury has recently signed an
exclusive licensing agreement with Debiopharm, SA of Lausanne, Switzerland.

According to a statement from Dr. Neal Birnberg, President and CEO of Mercury
Therapeutics, "Our partnership with CreaGen began with gratis work and rapidly
evolved into a FTE-based relationship where CreaGen functioned as our medicinal
chemistry department, providing both chemical design and synthesis services.
From the start, the CreaGen team was an active collaborator, where they drove
the design and synthesis of promising compounds in a timely fashion."

CreaGen CEO Dr. Raj (SB) Rajur noted "CreaGen developed the highly efficacious
lead (Debio 0930) and backup compounds over a period of seven months, which is
aggressive by industry standards. This FTE-based collaboration exemplifies the
efficiency of our scientists and the value our experienced team provides to our
partners."

"We look forward to expanding our collaboration with CreaGen into other
therapeutic areas," Birnberg added.

"We are pleased by the tremendous success of this program and look forward to
continued successes with each of our collaborators. Our partners require their
outsourced chemistryprograms to have well-managed teams of chemists experienced
in drug discovery and development. They expect the convenience of a local
partner and require the capacity and flexibility that CreaGen provides to each
of our customers. When considering the investment in time and capital that
FTE-based programs entail, the industry will seek the high value collaboration
with CreaGen," said Leland Johnson, Business Development Manager for CreaGen.

About CreaGen Biosciences, Inc.

Located in Woburn, Massachusetts, CreaGen is a privately held biotechnology
company. As a premier, chemistry-based drug discovery service provider, CreaGen
is focused on applying their onshore and offshore talent to meet customers`
growing chemistry needs while following aggressive timelines. With laboratory
facilities in Woburn and in Bangalore (India), the company is well-suited to
support the entire range of chemistry and pharmaceutical research activities in
industry and academia. Both locations provide access to robust transportation
and communication infrastructures and to tremendous pools of talented
scientists, enabling CreaGen to provide unparalleled service to its customers
and partners.

For more information on CreaGen please visit: http://www.creagenbio.com.

About Mercury Therapeutics, Inc.

Located in Woburn, Massachusetts, Mercury Therapeutics is a privately held
biotech company that develops small molecule direct AMPK activators as novel
therapeutics for type 2 diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Mercury's
lead generation platform is based on a proprietary technology that enables the
discovery and development of novel compounds that directly activate AMP kinase,
a key regulator of whole body energy metabolism, cholesterol and fatty acid
biosynthesis, and cell division. Working with a big pharma partner, Mercury has
recently out-licensed its metabolic disease portfolio and is currently focusing
its internal resources on development of AMPK activators for indications in
oncology.

For more information on Mercury Therapeutics please visit:
http://www.mtipharm.com.

CreaGen Biosciences Contacts:
Raj Rajur, PhD, +1 781-938-1122, ext. 112
Fax: +1-781-938-1123
Chairman and CEO
rrajur@creagenbio.com
or
Leland L. Johnson, Jr., +1 781-938-1122, ext. 115
Fax: +1-781-938-1123
Business Development Manager
ljohnson@creagenbio.com
or
Mercury Therapeutics Contact:
Neal Birnberg, CEO, +1 781-932-1125
Fax: +1-781-347-4737
birnberg@mtipharm.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009