BTG LAUNCHES COMPANY TO DEVELOP BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGY TO TREAT BROAD ARRAY OF NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS

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BTG LAUNCHES COMPANY TO DEVELOP BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGY TO TREAT BROAD ARRAY OF NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS
13 October 2006 - BTG

London, UK: BTG, the global technology commercialisation company, today launched KetoCytonyx, Inc., a company created to develop BTG’s ketone body technology.

KetoCytonyx will develop new treatments for acute brain injury such as stroke and chronic neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. Initially the company will be based at BTG’s office in Pennsylvania, USA. BTG will license the core intellectual property to KetoCytonyx and will provide intellectual property management, development planning, as well as general management and commercial strategy advice, in exchange for a majority equity stake. It will also initially invest £240,000 to create the company, with further investment anticipated in the near future.

The ketone technology has been developed from intellectual property obtained by BTG from Dr Richard Veech in the US and from a Japanese company, Shimizu Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. Ketone bodies are an alternative energy source, which appear to confer neurological benefits in disease models. Previous research has shown that high levels of ketones can also modify the course of neurological diseases, for example childhood epilepsy. KetoCytonyx will build on this research, to develop proprietary formulations of ketone body products for acute and chronic therapy.

Initially, members of BTG’s Health, Medical and BioTechnologies Management team will manage the KetoCytonyx project. An early objective will be to recruit key executives into management roles in the company. A scientific advisory board has also been formed to advise the company on the development of the technologies. Professor George Cahill, Emeritus Professor, Harvard University Medical School, will chair this board. Professor Cahill has been active in this area for more than 30 years.

BTG’s Director of Health, Medical and BioTechnologies, Dr. Geoffrey Porges, said:

"The launch of KetoCytonyx is an opportunity for BTG to develop a unique technology derived from two sources in very important medical indications. We believe this technology could revolutionise treatment for sufferers of stroke, head trauma and neurodegenerative diseases around the world. It could also potentially reduce both the future costs and mortality rates associated with these devastating diseases."

http://www.btgplc.com

About: BTG
BTG is an intellectual property and technology commercialisation company that operates internationally. BTG creates value by investing in intellectual property and technology development, and in early stage ventures. We realise value through technology licensing, patent assertion and sale of equity investments. Through a multidisciplinary approach, we apply intellectual property and commercial expertise, together with specialist skills in science and technology, to create major product opportunities in the health and high tech sectors. BTG has commercialised important innovations, including Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Multilevel Cell Memory, Campath (alemtuzumab), the first monoclonal antibody treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, and recombinant Factor IX blood clotting protein. BTG operates through wholly owned subsidiaries BTG International Ltd and BTG International Inc in the UK and USA, respectively.

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