SEMBIOSYS ISSUED KEY U.S. PATENT FOR THE PRODUCTION OF APOLIPOPROTEINS IN PLANTS

TSX symbol: SBS

CALGARY, Sept. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - SemBioSys Genetics Inc. (TSX:SBS) today announced that the United States Patent and Trade Mark Office has granted the Company U.S. patent 7,786,352 entitled "Methods for the Production of Apolipoproteins in Transgenic Plants". The granted patent claims include the methods for the expression of apolipoprotein (Apo) in plants, including Apo AI(Milano), the introduction of related chimeric nucleic acid into plant cells and producing plant cells capable of growing into mature plants which produce seeds that express apolipoprotein. This patent is key to successfully commercializing plant made and seed expressed Apo AI(Milano).

The intent of the Company's global patent strategy is to own exclusive rights to transgenic production of biosimilar drugs and novel drug candidates like Apo AI(Milano) in select plant and plant-seed lines and to be able to make such drugs in a scalable and affordable manner. In doing so, the Company believes it is rapidly becoming a highly attractive partner to large pharma partners looking to enter these markets with a differentiated and patent protected manufacturing cost structure.

"The issuance of this patent and the continuing success of our Apo AI(Milano) development strengthens the program as we advance through the partnership process with interested parties. This newly granted patent significantly enhances the value of our development and commercialization program for Apo AI(Milano), our next-generation cardiovascular drug candidate with blockbuster potential," said James Szarko, President and CEO of SemBioSys. "Apo AI(Milano) has the potential to address large unmet medical needs as an acute treatment for atherosclerosis or arterial blockage caused by plaque build-up on arterial walls, which leads to stroke and heart attacks. Our plant-seed based expression system for the production of Apo, biosimilar drugs and potentially other novel pharmaceutical drug candidates is a truly disruptive technology. It facilitates economical and scalable production of Apo for commercial development, which other drug companies have found difficult and expensive to produce using traditional fermentation methods. This newly patented process makes this drug candidate far more attractive and valuable to a potential pharmaceutical partner for commercial development."

A counterpart to the U.S. patent US 7,786,352 was issued in New Zealand and South Africa, and corresponding patents are pending in many jurisdictions worldwide including Europe, China, Japan, India, Eurasia, Brazil, Australia and Canada.

About SemBioSys

Calgary, Alberta-based SemBioSys is a development stage biotechnology Company that utilizes its patented plant seed oilbody expression technology platforms to develop biosimilar drug candidates and high value proteins. SemBioSys' seed-based protein expression system can enable exceptionally low cost of production with unprecedented scalability and reliability. SemBioSys is focusing the platform selectivity to develop biosimilar product candidates with tremendous commercial value. The Company's current pharmaceutical development programs include insulin (SBS-1000, regulated as a biosimilar in Europe) and Apo AI(Milano), a new chemical entity and next-generation cardiovascular therapy with blockbuster revenue potential if it reaches market for treatment of atherosclerosis. SemBioSys' Apo AI(Milano) is a des-1,2- variant of Apo AI(Milano) as previously described in scientific literature. SemBioSys is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker SBS. More information is available at www.sembiosys.com.

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "believe", "may", "plan", "will", "estimate", "continue", "anticipate", "intend", "expect" and other similar expressions which constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current expectation and assumptions, and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, changing market conditions and market size, the acceptance of an IND by the FDA in respect of clinical studies, the submission of a CTA to the appropriate European authorities, the successful initiation and timely and successful completion of clinical studies, the fact that Apo AI(Milano) is currently a development stage drug, the establishment of corporate alliances and partnerships, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development, uncertainties related to the regulatory approval process and other risks detailed from time-to-time in the Company's ongoing filings with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities which filings can be found at www.sedar.com. Given these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements either as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable Canadian securities laws.

SOURCE SemBioSys Genetics Inc.