CONCORD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS) announced today that it has received a
$2.1 million award from the U.S. Department of Defense to support the
advanced development of the company's technology for inactivating
pathogens and leukocytes in red blood cells. Cerus is developing the
INTERCEPT system for red cells to prevent transmission of infectious
diseases through red blood cell transfusions and to minimize
complications caused by residual white blood cells.
"The U.S. Department of Defense is again demonstrating its support of
pathogen inactivation," said Dr. Laurence Corash, Cerus' chief medical
officer. "This award will allow Cerus to support ongoing development of
the INTERCEPT red cell system."
The award, granted by the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition
Activity, covers a performance period between August 2011 and August
2012. The award was granted to Cerus in recognition of the INTERCEPT red
blood system’s potential to provide U.S. military personnel with
prospective protection against transfusion-transmitted diseases. To
date, Cerus has received more than $32 million in funding from the U.S.
Department of Defense to improve blood safety for the U.S. military.
ABOUT CERUS
Cerus Corporation is a biomedical products company focused on
commercializing the INTERCEPT Blood System to enhance blood safety. The
INTERCEPT system is designed to reduce the risk of
transfusion-transmitted diseases by inactivating a broad range of
pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and parasites that may be present in
donated blood. The nucleic acid targeting mechanism of action enables
INTERCEPT treatment to inactivate established transfusion threats, such
as hepatitis B and C, HIV, West Nile virus and bacteria, and is designed
to inactivate emerging pathogens such as influenza, malaria and dengue.
Cerus currently markets and sells the INTERCEPT Blood System for both
platelets and plasma in Europe, Russia, the Middle East and selected
countries in other regions around the world. The INTERCEPT red blood
cell system is in clinical development. See http://www.cerus.com
for more information.
INTERCEPT and INTERCEPT Blood System are trademarks of Cerus Corporation.
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Any
statements contained in this press release that are not statements of
historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements,
including, without limitation, statements relating to the potential for
the INTERCEPT Blood System for red blood cells to provide U.S. military
personnel protection against transfusion-transmitted diseases. Words
such as "potential" and similar expressions are intended to identify
forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based
upon the company's current expectations. Actual results could differ
materially from these forward-looking statements as a result of certain
factors, including, without limitation, risks associated with
development of the INTERCEPT Blood System for red blood cells and other
risks detailed in the Cerus' filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC), including in Cerus' quarterly report on Form 10-Q for
the quarter ended June 30, 2011. You are cautioned not to place undue
reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the
date of this press release. Cerus does not undertake any obligation to
update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information,
future events, changed assumptions or otherwise.
Source: Cerus Corporation