Winston-Salem, NC, May 13, 2010 – KeraNetics LLC, a Wake Forest University Health Sciences spinout with proprietary technology for the manufacture and therapeutic application of keratin biomaterials, announced today that the Company, in partnership with the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Wake Forest University Health Sciences, has received a grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. KeraNetics™ resuscitation fluid technology has been shown in initial preclinical studies to stabilize animals as much as 40 % blood loss. The grant will allow KeraNetics™ to further develop this technology through a focused program of further preclinical research and lay the groundwork for human clinical trials and commercialization.

“Trauma is the leading cause of death for people in the US under the age of 45. If the work proposed in the grant is successful, this new keratin resuscitation fluid could be tested in larger animals with the ultimate goal of being used by first responders and hospitals to save many victims of trauma-related hemorrhage and shock,” said Luke Burnett PhD, the Director of Product Development and Research at KeraNetics™ and the Principal Investigator for the project.

The research proposed in the grant will be conducted by scientists from KeraNetics™ under the direction of Dr. Burnett and scientists from the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery under the direction of Dr. Michael Callahan. “KeraNetics™ is fortunate to be involved with such a quality team of scientists from Waker Forest University Health Sciences. The results of our preclinical studies thus far are very encouraging and the fact that we were awarded a very competitive grant from the NIH shows how promising this technology is” said Dr. Burnett.