Ann Arbor, Mich. Dec. 13, 2004 -- Velcura Therapeutics®, Inc. has established a new Bone Therapy Evaluation Group to act as a service component of the company and allow rapid testing of potential therapies for osteoporosis and other bone diseases. Dedicated to fighting bone disease, Velcura Therapeutics has pioneered the use of human bone cells as targets for drug discovery applications. The evaluation group will utilize Velcura’s unique cell-based platform technologies to provide rapid drug optimization studies, drug target identification, mechanism of action, and cellular pathways analyses.

The company’s platform technologies also provide rapid turnaround on the actions of drugs and biological compounds on bone cell gene and protein expression. In particular, Velcura’s proprietary OsteoChip™, a customized DNA array that utilizes Affymetrix GeneChip® DNA microarray technology, contains 1,500 genes that are modulated in human bone formation, which were discovered by Velcura scientists.

The President and CEO of Velcura Therapeutics, Michael W. Long, Ph.D., explained, "The availability of the Bone Therapy Evaluation service allows Velcura to assist biopharmaceutical companies in their drug development process. We have had many requests for access to our technologies and our new OsteoChip™ to speed research to help fight bone diseases. Establishing a drug evaluation program allows us to more rapidly respond to questions of our pharmaceutical clients in a straightforward and simple manner." For information on this program call 734.973.1000 or email info@velcura.com.

About Velcura Therapeutics®, Inc.:

Velcura Therapeutics, Inc. is involved in developing novel therapies for osteoporosis and other bone diseases. The biotechnology company builds on its patented technology and ability to rapidly isolate and analyze human bone cells. Velcura Therapeutics® has an exclusive license agreement with the University of Michigan and is based in Ann Arbor, Mich. The company received $3.3 million in funding from the Michigan Life Sciences Corridor in 2002 and more than $2.1 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health.