SemBioSys Genetics awarded key U.S. patent for the production of insulin in plants

Calgary, Alberta, Canada 

August 16, 2011

SemBioSys Genetics Inc. announced that it has been granted U.S. patent US 7,547,821 entitled "Methods for the Production of Insulin in Plants".

The granted claims of the patent are directed to a method for the commercial production of insulin in plant seeds.

"This patent further strengthens our unique proprietary position on the production of high-value pharmaceuticals using plants. Human insulin is currently the world's largest-volume protein pharmaceutical and is an ideal target for our oilbody-oleosin technology platform," said James Szarko, President and CEO of SemBioSys. "The issuance of this patent ensures our exclusivity to commercialize our insulin-production technology in the U.S. and offers competitive advantages to potential partners who wish to supply the expanding diabetes market."

A counterpart to the U.S. patent US 7,547,821 was issued in Europe last year, and corresponding patents are pending in many jurisdictions worldwide including Canada, Australia, Japan, China, India and Mexico.

The Company also recently completed a successful phase I/II clinical trial of its plant-made insulin in the first quarter of 2009. The trial represented the first plant-made insulin ever injected into human subjects. The results proved bioequivalence between SemBioSys' plant-made insulin and Humulin(R) R, Eli Lilly's widely-used reco