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PRESS RELEASE - JULY 9th, 2008 UPSTREAM AND MCGILL UNIVERSITY TO COLLABORATE
ON TESTING OF POTENTIAL TROPICAL DISEASE TREATMENTS
Vancouver, British Columbia– July 9, 2008– Upstream Biosciences Inc. (OTCBB: UPBS) today announced that it has entered into a collaboration with McGill University’s Institute of Parasitology in Montreal, Quebec, Canada to begin in vitro testing of the Company’s second generation of drug candidates for the potential treatment of tropical diseases leishmaniasis, trypanaosomiasis (African sleeping sickness) and malaria. Joel L. Bellenson, Chief Executive Officer of Upstream, said the testing will evaluate the Company’s second generation drug candidates for anti-parasite activity and safety to human cells. McGill University is one of Canada’s leading universities and its Institute of Parasitology is recognized internationally for its research into infectious parasitic diseases. “We have designed our second generation of drug candidates based on the best-performing characteristics of our first generation drug candidates, which have now advanced into animal testing,” said Bellenson. “Our technology allows us to quickly and cheaply enhance our compounds to have fewer side-effects and to be more effective at lower dosages. ”Upstream’s proprietary drug discovery platform utilizes chemoinformatics which combines chemistry and computer-aided design to accelerate the speed and reduce the cost of discovering drugs to treat disease. Upstream’s first generation of drug candidates have successfully demonstrated in vitro anti-parasitic activity, in vitro human cell safety, and in vivo (in animals) safety for leishmaniasis, trypanaosomiasis and malaria. Management anticipates that the Company’s first generation drug candidates will undergo in vivo (in animals) efficacy testing before the end of the third quarter of 2008. Testing at McGill’s Institute of Parasitology will be directed by Dr. Armando Jardim, who has published an extensive body of research covering the identification and characterization of parasite drug targets, including leishmaniasis. “New treatments are desperately needed for these tropical diseases which have become resistant to available therapies. Our testing will evaluate the potential of Upstream’s newest compounds,” said Dr. Jardim. The Institute of Parasitology is one of the few centers dedicated to investigating infectious parasitic diseases. McGill University was chartered during the British colonial era 46 years before Canadian confederation in 1867. McGill attracts students from 160 countries around the world. McGill is the most research intensive university in Canada, both in terms of sponsored research income per full-time faculty member and in terms of peer-reviewed publications per full-time faculty member. About Upstream Biosciences, Inc. Investor contact: Media contact:
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