Cerus Establishes Blood Safety Scientific Advisory Board.

CONCORD, Calif. -- Cerus Corporation (Nasdaq:CERS) announced today the formation of a Blood Safety Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) to support with the company's initiatives in commercializing the INTERCEPT Blood System. The eight-member board, comprised of recognized leaders in the fields of transfusion medicine, blood banking, hematology and pathology, is expected to provide valuable expertise and guidance to Cerus.

Cerus' Blood Safety SAB will complement the company's existing INTERCEPT European Advisory Panel for Blood Safety. This panel, together with other important collaborators in Europe are key to the Company's strategy to bring this technology into routine clinical use.

"The establishment of this SAB will provide Cerus with access to expertise and insights to advance the development of the INTERCEPT Blood Systems globally," said Claes Glassell, president and CEO of Cerus Corporation.

The members of the Blood Safety SAB include:

--James P. AuBuchon, M.D., FCAP, FRCP, Medical Director of the Blood Bank and Transfusion Service at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

--Richard Benjamin, MBChB PhD, Chief Medical Officer of Biomedical Headquarters, American Red Cross.

--Morris A. Blajchman, M.D., FRCP, Professor of Pathology and Molecular Medicine at McMaster University.

--Christopher D. Hillyer, M.D., tenured Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine.

--Paul V. Holland, M.D., Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology of the Department of Internal Medicine at the UC Davis Medical Center.

--Jeffrey McCullough, M.D., Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology; Variety Children's Association Chair in Molecular and Cellular Therapy; and Director of the Biomedical Engineering Institute at the University of Minnesota.

--Paul David Mintz, M.D., Professor of Pathology and Internal Medicine; Director of the Division of Clinical Pathology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

--Darrell Triulzi, M.D., Medical Director of the Institute for Transfusion Medicine and Director of the Centralized Transfusion Service serving 15 hospitals in Pittsburg, PA; Associate Professor of Pathology and Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and Director of the Division of Transfusion Medicine.

ABOUT THE INTERCEPT BLOOD SYSTEM

The INTERCEPT Blood System is designed to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted diseases by inactivating certain pathogens that may be present in donated blood components, such as bacteria, HIV, and hepatitis B and C viruses. The technology also has been shown during development to inactivate emerging and migrating pathogens, such as the West Nile Virus and SARS.

The INTERCEPT Blood System is approved for use in Europe for platelets, and has been implemented by blood centers in several European countries. A CE mark application has been filed for the INTERCEPT Blood System for plasma and three Phase III trials in the United States have been completed. Phase III trials of the INTERCEPT Blood System for red blood cells were halted in 2003 after antibody reactivity was observed in two patients. Based on the development of a modified process that may diminish the likelihood of antibody reactivity with treated red cells, re-entry into clinical trials is planned.

ABOUT CERUS

Cerus Corporation is developing novel products for cancer, infectious disease and blood safety based on multiple, innovative technology platforms. The Company is building a pipeline of next generation cancer immunotherapies by combining its proprietary attenuated Listeria vaccine platform with promising disease antigens. These products are designed to stimulate innate and adaptive immune pathways, generating highly specific and highly potent anti-tumor responses. The Company's KBMA vaccine technology has potential broad applications against multiple pathogens. Cerus is applying its Helinx technology to develop the INTERCEPT Blood System, which is designed to enhance the safety of blood components through pathogen inactivation. The Company's strategy is to leverage the broad potential of its technologies and products both on its own and through alliances. Cerus' collaborators include MedImmune and investigators at The Johns Hopkins University for cancer immunotherapy, and BioOne for the INTERCEPT Blood System.

INTERCEPT and Helinx are trademarks of Cerus Corporation.

Statements in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from the above forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including the risks and uncertainties related to the timing and results of clinical trials and other development activities, the acceptability of any data by regulatory authorities, actions by regulatory authorities and other government authorities, including the FDA and foreign counterparts, at any stage of the development or marketing process, technological advances in the medical field, additional financing activities, manufacturing, product demand and market acceptance and adoption of any products, competitive conditions, internal and external factors that could impact commercialization, the limited resources and operating history of BioOne and other factors discussed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events, changed assumptions or otherwise; all forward-looking statements speak only as of the time when made. Actual results or experience could differ materially from the forward-looking statements.