Satellite Healthcare Supports Young Scientists and Innovative Kidney Disease Research with Six 2003 Grants.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 29, 2003

Norman S. Coplon Extramural Grant Program is One of the Largest

Private Research Endowments for Kidney Disease Research;

2004 Norman S. Coplon Extramural Grant Program Open to Submissions

Satellite Healthcare, Inc. today awarded six nephrology professionals engaged in clinical and basic research in kidney diseases the 2003 Normon S. Coplon Extramural Grants of $50,000 each for a maximum of three years.

Since 2001, Satellite Healthcare has made a total of nineteen grants for up to three years of kidney research to institutions such as Stanford University, the University of California at San Francisco and San Diego, Tufts-New England Medical Center, Emory University, John Hopkins University, and the University of Cincinnati.

"In these days of cut backs and shrinking funding, the Satellite Healthcare grants fill an important role encouraging young scientists to remain in research and enabling them to begin critical research into chronic kidney diseases," said Dr. T. Alp Ikizler, a 2001 recipient of the Norman S. Coplon Extramural Grant, from Vanderbilt University. "Without this independent support, many would be forced to leave research."

Satellite's Norman S. Coplon Extramural Grant Program is one of the largest private research endowments for research into chronic kidney diseases. Satellite Healthcare is also a major contributor to research through the National Kidney Foundation and Stanford University School of Medicine.

"It is unusual for organizations to dedicate their own research dollars to furthering research outside of the organization," said Dr. John E. Moran, Chief Scientific Officer and Director of the Research Division for Satellite Healthcare. "These grants are awarded by an independent Scientific Advisory Board. They show Satellite's commitment to young scientists and renal research."

"Renal research with clinical application has never been so important," according to Dr. Moran, "as the number of people in the U.S. facing kidney disease is projected to increase by about 75% to exceed 660,000 by the year 2010."

The Normon S. Coplon Extramural Grant Program is designed to encourage and sustain renal research with both scientific merit and clinical application. The grantees represent many of the premier renal research and treatment institutions in the United States. Receiving the 2003 grants are:

-- Kevin T. Bush, Ph.D., of the University of California-San

Diego for "Genes Regulating Ureteric Bud Branching

Morphogenesis"

-- William F. Glass, M.D., Ph.D., of the Eastern Virginia Medical

School in Norfolk, VA for "Regulation of PAI-1 Expression by

the Actin Cytoskeleton"

-- Bertrand L. Jaber, M.D., of Tufts-New England Medical Center

in Boston for "Cytokine Gene Polymorphisms: Novel Predictors

of Acute Renal Failure Following Cardiac Pulmonary Bypass"

-- Ajay K. Israni, M.D., of the University of Pennsylvania School

of Medicine in Philadelphia for "Association of Apoptosis

Genes with Delayed Graft Function in Cadaveric Renal

Allografts"

-- Prabir Roy-Chaudhury, M.D., of the University of Cincinnati

Medical Center in Cincinnati for "The Local Delivery of Nitric

Oxide for the Prevention and Treatment of Venous Stenosis and

Thrombosis in PTFE Dialysis Grafts"

-- Xiaonan Wang, M.D., of Emory University in Atlanta for "Gene

Therapy of Muscle Wasting from Uremia."

"The Normon S. Coplon Grant is particularly important to me at this stage in my career," said Dr. Prabir Roy-Chaudhury, "as it allows me to focus all the efforts of my laboratory in the field of vascular access. I believe that using the vascular access graft as a conduit for drug delivery could have tremendous potential to reduce the morbidity from failing vascular access during hemodialysis. I am very optimistic that this grant will allow me to get preliminary results that will result in future large-scale federal funding for this project."

The Satellite grants are named in honor of the founder of Satellite Healthcare, Dr. Normon S. Coplon. Dr. Coplon holds the position of Clinical Professor of Medicine at Stanford University and was the National Kidney Foundation's Man of the Year in 1992. He has published extensively on kidney diseases.

Candidates wishing to apply for the 2004 Norman S. Coplon Awards with a submission deadline of Feb. 28, 2004 should visit http://www.satellitehealth.com/research/extramural_grants.asp.

About Satellite Healthcare

Satellite Healthcare was founded in l974 by Norman Coplon, M.D. to focus exclusively on kidney and kidney-related disorders. Satellite Healthcare, with headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., includes: Satellite Laboratory Services, providing laboratory services to dialysis facilities throughout the U.S.; Satellite Research, sponsoring research via intramural clinical research and extramural research grants; Satellite Capital, providing venture capital to early-stage health care companies; and Satellite Dialysis, continuing a long and respected tradition of serving the Northern California community.