April 8, 2002

EAGAN, Minn. - Biopolymer Engineering, Inc.'s Chief Scientist Dr. Gary Ostroff will present research at two scientific conferences this month demonstrating that a natural carbohydrate compound called WGP Beta Glucan significantly increased the survival rate of mice infected with a lethal dose of anthrax spores.

Dr. Ostroff will be a presenter at the BioDefense Mobilization Conference April 9-11 in Seattle. The conference's goal is to prepare state and federal public health and safety professionals and the medical community at large to react effectively to biological attack. Dr. Ostroff's presentation is scheduled for Thursday, April 11. For more information, visit www.bio-defense.org.

Dr. Ostroff also will present the research findings in a late-breaking poster session at Experimental Biology 2002 on April 20-24 in New Orleans. The 11th annual conference will bring together more than 14,000 biomedical researchers from dozens of scientific disciplines to learn about the newest scientific concepts and discoveries expected to shape the future of medical advances. For more information, visit the conference's website at www.faseb.org/meetings/eb2002/.

The research that Dr. Ostroff will present was conducted by Biopolymer Engineering, the Canadian Department of Defence, and Biophage Pharma, Inc. The researchers found that the survival rate among mice treated with injected WGP Beta Glucan two days before infection with a lethal dose of anthrax spores increased from 30 percent in the control group to more than 80 percent in the treatment group. The survival rate among mice orally treated daily with WGP Beta Glucan for seven days before infection increased from 50 percent in the control group to 100 percent. The survival rate of mice treated therapeutically, or post-infection increased to 90 percent, compared with 30 percent for the control group.

Biopolymer Engineering, Inc. is a leading biotechnology company in the field of natural complex carbohydrates or biopolymers. The company is developing carbohydrate-based products for a wide range of therapeutic, consumer and industrial applications. Founded in 1997 and based in Eagan, Minnesota, the company has built a strong technology platform of patented and proprietary intellectual property relating to its carbohydrate-based products.